Awakening: Rise of the Architect
by Bardock92
Summary: Ordered by her father to assist Zhao's invasion of the Northern Water Trive, Azula comes across a hidden underground passage that holds the Fire Nation's greatest secret. A man bound in chains who possesses frightening powers, his origins unknown. Upon release, what does this youth plan to accomplish? Where do his loyalties lie? Dark Powerful Naruto, NaruHarem. More details inside.
1. Chapter I: Returner

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you see in this Crossover Work, not a damn thing. More information about what exactly I'll be involving in this fic at the end of this Chapter. With that said, read on and leave your thoughts at the end. Is it good or is it crap? That's up for you guys to decide, I can't make any of you voice your opinions; that's your job as the viewer/reviewer. **

***Key*  
**"Talking"  
_Thinking  
_**Faust Talking**

The destiny of the Fire Nation fell to the Prodigal Child of the Fire Lord. At least, that is what Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation, was told. The young hellcat gladly accepted the role of being the Fire Nation's savior, to her, it was not just destiny that such an important role was handed to her; it was fate.

Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai and former Fire Lady, Ursa, was a consistent disappointment to the ways of the Fire Nation. Despite being firstborn, he was exactly the opposite of what a firstborn of a Fire Lord should be; he was always weak, and born with a fool's mind. His firebending in comparison to Azula's was abysmal at best, as a child Azula herself was a prodigy in such arts; learning to master the more intense concentration needed to control powerful azure flames.

And quickly reaching Zuko's level of shame was none other than Admiral Zhao, the lead of the Fire Nation's warships and current military conquests. Azula had met the admirable before, and to her perspective, he was a worthy and savage man; exactly what the Fire Nation needed in the times of the Avatar's return.

However, as of late he had failed to capture the Avatar on multiple times; even when the supposed Messiah was in arm's length. He had also been apparently outwitted by the Avatar on some occasions; and it didn't help lessen the blow when her father's spies had reported that the current Avatar was merely a child.

For his recent string of failures, Ozai had sent out his daughter, his pride and joy, the Fire Nation's prodigy, Princess Azula to assist Admiral Zhao on the upcoming date where a majority of the Fire Nation's fleet would assault the Northern Water Tribe as a whole. It was also rumored that the Avatar himself was headed in the same direction; so it would be considered a win-win situation if both the Northern Water Tribe could be conquered with the Avatar dead on the same day.

Zhao had recently contacted the Fire Lord practically pleading for one more chance to prove himself, but Ozai would have none of it; he told Zhao of Azula's impending arrival to his fleet in where she would assist in the assault. Whether or not Zhao took this as a blow to his own ego was yet to be seen, but personally Azula could care less. Whether the Admiral could or couldn't live up to his task was of no concern to her; she simply wished to have the Avatar's head on a pike, courtesy her own strength.

As for Zuko, his bending was pathetically average, if not underdeveloped from what Azula could comprehend. The Fire Nation's Princess was always willing to make the harder decisions people with soft hearts couldn't make to preserve the sanctity of her nation. Some people called the Fire Princesses' methods abominable, others called her mad; but to Azula, she simply thought of herself as 'incredibly efficient'; nothing more and nothing less.

The Avatar, the being looked up to as some sort of deity in the eyes of the common folk outside of the Fire Nation, had returned after more than a one hundred hiatus. To only a select few hopefuls, the return of such a figure was the sign that the supposed atrocities of Azula's people would be stopped. However to many, the return of the Avatar was nothing more than an extra burden for the world to carry; considering how the one who had been perceived as a God fled from his role so many years ago.

To Azula's nation, the Avatar was the epitome of true weakness. His very existence served as an affront to the Fire Nation and all of its beliefs, teachings and most importantly, rule. Azula had come to here that this new Avatar held the same bland concepts of those who came before him; that 'tyrants' and 'oppressors' of the people had to be brought down in order for there to be true 'peace.'

As she traveled further, Azula could only shake her head at such virtuous idealism. What is peace anyway? Does it even exist? What one person could see as peace could be heresy to another, and what another could see as violence could be seen as peace from another perspective. Therefore, there could never be such a thing as 'true' peace; only one's perception of what peace is.

The only way 'true' peace could exist is if every single person on Earth saw peace in the same way; and that in itself is a fool's dream. Such absolute coexistence and harmony is impossible, it is within the human nature to draw the blood of their neighbors; and as long as there are fools with their petty idealism in order to bring about 'peace', such a thing could not exist.

The only way to keep any sort of prosperity was with a cold, iron fist. Diplomacies and trust are trivial matters that only petty politicians concern themselves with, and such tactics could only work so far before someone starts to argue about who has more land because of what they're great grandfather did so many years ago or something along that garbage. If the people are ruled through absolute control, there is no chance for idealism, heresy, radicalism or any type of war.

They respect and fear those who rule over them too much to rebel, and as for those who would continue to struggle against for useless concerns like morality…they would have to crushed into dust to show the world that revolt against the peace of the people would not be tolerated, no matter the cost.

Azula's closest companions, the only two she considered 'friends' in any term; had decided to come along for the raid on the Northern Water Tribe; though one needed a bit more "persuasion" than the other did. The first of the two was an uppity girl named Ty Lee, a rather fetching beauty in clad pink with an incredibly flexible body.

Her flexibility was not her only weapon of choice on a battlefield, but the fact that she could block the chi of a bender in combat to prohibit them from using their talents was an immensely useful ability to have in search of the Avatar of all things. In terms of personality, Azula could only shrug, not in despair or anger, but in a bit of a sense of loss.

Calling Ty Lee an airhead would be a bit of an understatement, her rash, bubbly unpredictable behavior often put the Fire Nation's Princess on the spot to clean up after the acrobat's mess. Azula smirked trying to come up with a single word that could accurately describe Ty Lee…there were none. Nevertheless, though she would never admit to anyone, Azula did enjoy Ty Lee's company not only this mission; but as a friend in general.

Then there was Mai, and if there was a single person on the Earth who could have a personality exactly opposite to Ty Lee's, it was her. Even Azula herself could note that despite how Mai was a close friend, while Ty Lee was spastic, bubbly and joyful, Mai was uninterested, moody and actually quite depressing.

Mai, like Ty Lee, was a rather attractive young woman, something Azula admired and hated at the same time; as the prodigy child never looked at herself as beautiful or had people ogle her like Ty Lee. From what Azula had gathered, Mai had once shared a relationship with her cowardly brother Zuko; but where those emotions would be now were yet to be revealed.

Reports on the Avatar's location were shoddy at best, since the living deity was always on the move, apparently trying to master the elements of Water, Earth and Fire; since the last Air Nomad had only previously mastered his own element due to his act of cowardice. Azula on the other hand, was starting to grow rather impatient. She wanted to see this Avatar, and face him mortal combat. It was her destiny to strike the impertinent Messiah, to show him that even deities can be killed and how weak the idealism of the Avatar's truly is.

But as every second passed she knew he could keep getting farther and farther away. It was absolutely infuriating, every time a barely thrown together report reached her and 'revealed' the Avatar's location he was either somewhere else entirely, just passed through the said area, or had left there days ago.

"Azula….when are we going to get to the fleet? I'm starting to get bored." Ty Lee huffed, blowing some of her hazel hair out of her face. Rolling her eyes, Azula looked over to her uppity acrobat who truly did look uninterested in the constant travel. Not that she would blame her of course, it had been at three days since their initial departure; which was more a less a wild Saber-tooth Moose-Lion chase, due to the Avatar's consistent travel much like their own.

While Ty Lee pouted in boredom, Mai sighed audibly at the situation at hand. Sure, it was nice to get out of a castle filled with nothing but people who would give her anything she wanted without earning it and having her ass practically wiped by the nobles, she had to admit the trip was getting somewhat dull because of little to no action.

She hated her home and what it represented, and figured a trip to go hunt down the Avatar was as good of a reason to leave as ever. She didn't regret her decision to go chase after such a being, but she didn't want have to just sit down while being carried all the way to her destination either; to Mai it was too much like home.

Suddenly, the carriage came to a halt; nearly knocking Ty Lee off balance at the sudden stop. Azula's glance merely shifted to the motion ahead, a few scouts she had sent out farther in the distance for reconnaissance had apparently returned from their mission.

She looked at the Captain and examined his features, he and his men had obviously hurried back as fast as they could; given their heavy panting and vast amount of sweating. Another examination through even a fool's eyes that he had obviously found something unexpected, given away by his wide eyes and the flustered look on his face.

"This delay had better be important, Captain. I trust you coming bearing news about the Avatar?" Azula sneered, in which the grimacing officer could shake his head slowly at, which caused the prodigy child's sneer to turn into a menacing glare. "M-m-my Princess! W-we have not come r-relaying information on the Avatar, but my t-t-troops and I have found ruins of unknown origin northwest along this path!" The Captain exclaimed in fear, hoping that even minimal justification could somehow spare him from the wrath of the Fire Lord's daughter.

"You delay my expedition to hunt down the Avatar because of ruins? Relics of the past? I am not a historian Captain! Though I am interested into what you meant by 'unknown origin'; speak now or hold your tongue, it matters not to me." Azula practically growled, causing Ty Lee to giggle and a smirk to make its way across Mai's face; one thing the two friends of the Fire Nation Princess would agree on is that it was occasionally funny to see Azula scare the piss out of people. Swallowing a lump in his throat with utmost fear, the Captain cleared his throat to address his superior.

"Ahem…the constructs and design of this ruin are a complete enigma to me, your Highness. At first I thought the caverns could perhaps Kyoshi Warriors waiting to assault us; or perhaps the Avatar himself and his party could've set up base camp in there, but I was wrong. There are markings all over the walls; it's some kind of strange language apparently long abandoned, none of the symbols seem to match any common literacy of the Four Nations." The Captain exclaimed, earning an apparent interest from Azula as she haughtily cocked an eyebrow.

"Some of my men decided to stay behind to examine the walls and investigate deeper into the ruin, though I have some to confess your Highness. The ruin…it feels…off, somehow. I don't know how or why, but it's like the moment you step foot in there it's like something is watching you…and waiting like a predator in the darkness." The Captain shuddered, a rippling chill being dragged down his spine like a rusty dagger. For the lowly soldier, even talking about such a place after visiting it seemed to bring about some type of unknown presence that was undoubtedly listening. Azula stroked her chin lightly in curiosity, while being watched very carefully by her equally curious companions.

"Azula…?" Ty Lee questioned, wondering whether or not venturing into such a described area was truly wise; despite her own want to know what lurked in the shadows for better or for worse.

"We're going in, Captain, you have your orders." Azula stated, a concentrated look adorning her royal face. The Captain merely saluted and told the men to move out, and the armored carriage began moving at its infernal pace once more to the supposed abyss. As they began nearing their destination after at least ten minutes had past, Azula began to grow anxious for what she would discover.

_If there is truly something within this ruin that can prove of use to me or the Fire Nation in itself, than I must seize it. The nature of what lies inside does not sound like a relic of the Avatar's however, then again that depends on whether or not the Captain was truly accurate. If there is indeed an ancient weapon that can assist my Kingdom in this bothersome war than that's fine by me, if not than I can just strip the Captain of his position for such a trivial excavation. _

Azula's thoughts were her own, but she knew if there was something in these ruins that could help fight the Avatar her father would've wanted her to use it. Another sudden halt signaled that the group had arrived at their destination.

Hopping out of the tank, the female trio looked upon what did in fact appear to be ancient ruins of some sort. A few lonesome pillars of unknown agriculture barely stood five feet of the ground, looking ready to give way at the slightest touch. A few old houses were hardly visible among the rubble, with faded letters that were unrecognizable before initial decay.

A cave pressed against a wall to the north seemed to mark the entry point for the Captain's description; there was obviously no lack of subtlety to the entrance. It shouted the words dark and foreboding quite clearly; almost daring anyone to enter. Azula could not deny the presence she felt however; the Captain's words did not do it justice.

It was almost like some kind of force on invisible pressure, weighing down on you; its own sheer power suppressing you through some kind of malevolent, indomitable will. Gazing over at Mai and Ty Lee, the normally broody girl seemed to be on edge whilst the bubbly acrobat seemed generally frightened.

With an aggressive huff, Azula motioned for her followers to enter the cave. Departing from the tank, the trio of friends entered what they secretly felt was a bad omen, to a degree, even Azula felt so. She knew that if what the Captain said was true, the rest of his men would've already begun their progress into the mysterious darkness.

The torches began to illuminate the darkness, and the shadows slithered away from the light with haste; retreating farther down the seemingly endless hall. Azula had been glimpsing both left and right at the walls; they were indeed marked. She didn't recognize the language etched into the earth, many would've dismissed it as barbaric jargon. The letters didn't seem to match the language the world she knew would be familiar with; perhaps the age that possessed such writings had departed from the world long ago.

The walls themselves seemed to almost be slowly closing in around its visitors, threatening to squeeze the life out of them before they reached their destination. The markings on the wall seemed to move and twirl in the rhythm of some kind of bloody rhapsody under the command of a demonic maestro. Ty Lee pressed her body closer to Azula's, slightly shaking under the pressure she felt. Mai's eyes shooting off in every direction, looking for the slightest notion of movement hiding in the shadows; maybe it was just instinct to feel such emotions in the dark.

"All of you have no reason to be so foolishly tense; there is nothing in the dark that wasn't there before." Azula calmly stated, all the while her own eyes trying to scout through the ever retreating darkness. Ty Lee was practically on top of Azula now, holding her arm tightly as they continued on.

"Why doesn't that bring me any more comfort?" Mai whispered under her breath, confident that Azula heard her.

After what seemed like an eternity of walking, the Princess and her posse finally reached their destination. Azula came to a sudden halt, having Ty Lee nearly trip over her own two feet as a result. Mai and the Captain's forces stood next the child prodigy, gaping in awe at the sight before them.

The cave had truly brought them underground, as they stood at least fifty feet above where a rather large opening took shelter, while to their left was an ancient walkway down that would guarantee safe passage. The lights of torches were visible down below, illuminating the rest of the Captain's men.

As Azula's group formed a straight line to walk in an orderly fashion to walk down the long line of stairs, each one of them looked upon their surroundings in awe. The area that they know took refuge in was of no ordinary design; the odds of there being such a reclusive, spacious area underground seemed incredibly unlikely. If there was any doubt that the area was made from human origin, an enormous metal door bearing an ancient symbol of the unnamed language undermined such thoughts.

_This is…incredible! A door of this size would only be built to conceal something massive…and potentially dangerous. This begs the question however, who would go to such lengths to conceal such a mystery? Perhaps the language on the walls told travelers of those ancient times of what they were approaching…or to stay away. Whatever is behind this door must be of great splendor if people were willing to go to such lengths to conceal it._

I can only fathom the amount of effort needed to make such an entrance, the metal looks incredibly durable yet ancient at the same time. There appears to be some rust here and there, but nothing detailing an actual structural weakness; which is very peculiar if the race that built died off so many years ago that the people of this time would not even recognize their language.

_What lies beyond this door? Treasures? Riches? Wisdom? Ancient weapons? The keys to a greater power? Whatever it is, the Fire Nation will have it; it is our right to claim any powers necessary to secure the future of this world._

With those final thoughts, Azula readied herself as she descended from the final step needed to reach the bottom area; more than a glint of determination on her face. She approached the rest of the Captain's forces, while the commander of the reconnaissance team gathered all of his troops tenfold to access the situation. Ty Lee and Mai approached Azula, who was gazing up at the massive iron entrance, her index finger rubbing across her chin in wonder.

"Azula…? Are we going to…?" Ty Lee inquired carefully, not wanting to offend her closest friend. Turning her head nonchalantly, Azula merely nodded. Mai bared the same expression on her face that Ty Lee's expressed, uncertainty. "Are you sure Azula? The symbol on the door kind of seems to shout 'keep out'." Ty Lee timidly suggested, motioning quotations with her fingers towards the words 'keep' and 'out.'

Azula's golden eyes would not have any such suggestion though, as her eyebrows quickly slanted in a glare that demanded silence. Letting out a frightened squeak, Ty Lee quickly hid behind my, who merely sighed heavily at such familiar behavior.

"Your Highness...I've been studying the mark on the door while awaiting your arrival. It, just like everything else in this ruin, is completely unrecognizable with our modern language. A logical deduction is that the symbol indicates what's behind this door…but I have no idea what the symbol means since that mark doesn't match a single letter from our nation's vocabulary." The scout quickly exclaimed, a bead of sweat trailing down his neck that Azula would not punish him for his failure. Instead, Azula simply looked at the foreboding door, and started gathering her chi; much to everyone's shock.

"Your Highness! What are you doing!" The Captain yelled, fear dragging itself up his spine like a rusty, jagged dagger. Azula merely cocked her head with a nonchalant look and smirked.

"I'm breaking the door down, what does it look like I'm doing?" Azula half laughed, gathering her energy to blow down the immense frame. As energies of fire and lightning began to build up inside the Princess, a loud rumbling through everyone but Azula off balance.

**Matsu. (Wait.)**  
**  
**Everyone looked around, unsure of what to make of the unknown voice. It sounded commanding, thunderous and almost regal to a degree; but there was something wrong about it. The voice itself didn't sound completely human, the vocals to its voice seemed to be distorted, and the single word it spoke was unrecognizable. Everyone quickly came to the assumption that whoever or whatever was speaking was using the language of those who came before them, and that language was long since dead.

**Anata ga tokihanatou to shite iru mono o jitsugen suru ka? (Do you realize what you are about to unleash?)**

"Who are you? I demand you show yourself!" Azula exclaimed, frustrated that the person or spirit who was willing to converse with her might not even understand what she's saying, and for the fact that she nor any one of her companions could understand the presence at all.

**Kono yōkyū o shinai yō ni suru koto no nai tachiba ni aru. Anata wa watashi no kotoba ni mimi o katamukerudarou; Watashi wa anata dake ga mimi o katamukeru no ni jūbun'na kenmeina inoru. (You are in no position to make demands. You will listen to my words; I only pray you are wise enough to heed them.)**

**Watashi wa Fausuto, Shōshitsu shitamonono gādian.** **Nani kono doa o koete aru koto wa watashi-tachi no kuchiku-kandearu kanō-sei ga arimasu, Matawa watashi-tachi no kyūseishu. (I am Faust, Guardian of the Lost One. What lies beyond this door could be our Destroyer, or our Messiah.)**

"We can't understand a thing you're saying!" Azula shouted, only for the voice to soar over hers; not hearing it or not caring.

Kare wa zutto mae ni hanarete mippū shita, Kare wa tōji, sekai o shippai shita, Kare wa kon, sekai ga hitsuyōna mono kamo shirenai. (He was sealed away long ago, he failed the world back then, he might be what the world needs now.)

Running her fingers through her hair aggravatingly, Azula's annoyance with the voice began to grow through each passing second. She couldn't understand a damn thing the mysterious being was saying, yet alone what it was trying to tell her; but she COULD understand one thing.

The commanding tone of the voice with how it appeared to be addressing her and her own subordinates, one thing was made perfectly clear; this longwinded speech seemed to be nothing more than some type of overblown lecture! A lecture! To the child prodigy of Fire Lord Ozai! To the Princess of the Fire Nation! Such demeaning tones cast upon her like she was a peasant, to Azula; the mere thought of it was sickening.

Whatever this person or thing was trying to tell her was completely hopeless; she couldn't understand the words it continued to spout and Azula wasn't even half sure that the being understood her, or even acknowledged that she couldn't understand the mysterious language to begin with.

"Would you please hurry the hell up! Your incessant babbling jargon is giving me a headache!" Azula yelled angrily, huffing in a state of building rage. The acrobat and the royal daughter as well as the Captain and his recon team still seemed to be on edge; and with good reason.

For Ty Lee and Mai, their best friend could've possibly just insulted a powerful spirit who could cast divine or infernal judgment upon them at any waking moment, for the Captain and his men, all of them were close to a having a panic attack that anyone would dare address a spirit in such a foul manner; even if the person who did so was royalty.

The voice seemed to hear Azula's words, as an ominous pause cast a powerful overtone of fear that overtook the spacious chamber. Azula's eyes widened, wondering if she got the attention of the entity…or just happened to seriously piss it off.

An almost thunderous creaking sound overtook the room, all eyes focusing on the door before them. The symbol on the door seemed to glow faintly, but then whatever light it held vanished in an instant. The entrance to the unknown was starting to open, the sound of ancient metal scraping against itself in order to make such a feat possible.

When the door had finally opened completely, the visibility of what was inside yielded no results; it was as dark and as foreboding as the rest of the cave. The darkness seemed to be calling out to Azula, wanting her…needing her to come forward.

Taking a deep breath, Azula summoned her azure flames to her hand in order to secure more light against the darkness. As the Princess moved forward, her friends and her subordinates followed cautiously. Sweat beads were dribbling down Mai's face, Ty Lee looked like she was going to pass out at any moment, and the Captain and his unit were about ready to fall back and abandon the operation entirely.

Azula half expected the enormous gate to close as soon as they entered the room, the cliché of many of novels pertaining to grim tales she had read back in the royal library of her wealthy home. Such a thing did not happen, but the air seemed to grow ever colder…until it seemed there was no air at all. The noises, the echoes of which all who entered had heard before, stopped.

Now there was only silence, and it boded grim for all those who entered. For a few moments, there was nothing but complete darkness. Azula's piercing golden eyes could not see through the blackness that surrounded her, nor could her friends do the same.

Suddenly, a blinding flash illuminated the middle section of the room; forcing Azula's party to cover their eyes to adjust to the sudden blinding light. While everyone's retinas cooled down from the sudden burst of light, a new sense almost instantly overwhelmed Azula's party, including the child prodigy herself. The light that had been projected began to show off what it had in store for the group, needless to say everyone's eyes widened, with an included gasp from Ty Lee.

The pillar of light that blinded everyone just seconds ago had apparently revealed what the massive gate what was trying to conceal; though much to Azula's surprise it wasn't what she was suspecting in the least.

Twenty five feet above them at least, suspended through chains piercing through his skin; appeared to be a young man in his early twenties. The method in which he was held seemed incredibly brutal, to which Azula smiled; maybe the world that came before hers was good for more than she thought.

The chains had pierced multiple sections of the man's body, including the ankles, elbows, hands, legs, kneecaps, collarbone, shoulder bones, chest, back and even each area in between each rib bone.

The man bore a strange outfit, a pair of worn out charcoal black sandals somehow still adorned to his feet, as a red flowing garment that acted as a lower cloak-like substance attached to his waist with torn grey pants stained with blood. His eyes remained closed, so one could only speculate at what the color once was.

Covering his forehead was some sort of metallic headband, which must have been made from some sort of light metal in order not to way him down; and just like all the other things she had seen from this ruin, a strange symbol was etched into the middle of the headband itself. Some kind of royal necklace was wrapped around his neck, a flat sliver slab of metal dangling from the black thread that held it in place.

Inside of the metal lay a small spherical gem of some sort, it gleamed beautifully in the light; the magnificence of the jewel portrayed itself in a rainbow-esque light. Such a fine piece of jewelry must've belonged to a high-ranking royal family of some sort; or perhaps it was an important relic to ancient Firebenders long past; either way, the mint condition of the artifact itself as well its miniscule size, opulence and color deemed it priceless.

His face itself carried a certain stern, yet sensible look to it. Though, the fact that the man before her was obviously dead derailed any sense of getting a feeling for a personality that had long since passed. A distinguishable trait on his face was a large, painful looking scar that tracked down from the top of his right eyebrow all the way down to his lower jaw; passing a section of his lips on the way.

The cut appeared to be abnormal, as if it was darkened somehow; in comparison it looked like a darker shade of red than the scar that bore itself on the face of her brother Zuko, of whom she had just recently had an encounter with. Finally, a rather odd feature gave the last distinctive touch noticeable. It almost looked like the man had whiskers of some sort, like the kind some sort of wild feral creature would have.

On one hand, anyone would notice that was incredibly well toned for his age. Muscles rippling from his legs, arms, forearms and pectorals; but not as ridiculous in comparison with the tales Azula had read about the Earth Kingdom's arena fighters.

A more than admirable six-pack made his body ever more impressive, while a strangely alluring tattoo complete with swirling designs made itself perfectly clear on his stomach; the strange symbols of the dead language swirling around the spirals themselves added to his mystique.

The only type of formal upper clothing he seemed to be wearing was an open, tattered black cloak that had seen some sort that had obviously seen its share of battle. The condition of the cloak, while scattered and flowing, had multiples rips within its seams and had suffered heavy damage from whatever battles it had went through. What could've been vibrantly colored flames reaching scattered through the bottom of the cloak were now nothing but shade of dimmed red; a shallow reflection of possible former glory.

His forearms up to the starting point of each finger were wrapped in a white bandage of some sort; a closer look would reveal they were stained red, evidently from blood. Whether or not the blood on his hands were the man's own or the blood of others was up for speculation.

To anyone of her world, Azula would note the one thing that would draw any eye noting passersby…his hair. It was of an unusual color, and even that was an understatement in comparison what she and her friends bore their eyes on now. His hair almost seemed to glow in the sun, spiky shining gold locks trenched from just his headband all the way down to his tailbone.

In the earlier strands of his golden mane were about three to five long strands of crimson red; adding even more flair to his composure. Amazingly, it seemed like the hair itself hadn't fallen out or even aged a bit since the day of whenever the lad was imprisoned…how was that possible?

Azula began to think about the corpse before her, it was admittedly impressive in physical appearance, but that alone was troubling. If the marks on the walls and on the door were so old that the none of the Fire Nation's scrolls could decipher them or even bring any familiarity of where they came from to the floor, how could this boy, who was most likely from the same time; be in such prime condition?

The symbols had to be at least centuries old or possibly even more so if none of the oldest Fire Nation texts and alphabet didn't recognize them; but by such a time nothing should've remained of a prisoner of war or of any type of prisoner for that matter. After a few moments of cupping their chins in wonder and in suspicion, someone finally decided to break the silence.

"Well…he's quite the looker isn't he?" Ty Lee invoked in a flirtatious manner, almost immediately earning blank stares from the entire group. Scratching the back of her head nervously, the pink acrobat desperately tried to think of an excuse to escape the awkward moment.

"Ya know…if he wasn't dead?" Ty Lee anxiously added, earning deep sighs from both Mai and Azula. A creeping feeling seethed out from the shadows once more; the presence of the spirit had returned once more. Azula could feel it, like claws tenderly rubbing themselves over her shoulders; she knew Mai and Ty Lee could sense it as well. Even the Captain and his men were well aware they were not alone...invisible eyes had traced their movements the moment they entered the ruin.

**Sō... Anata wa kono iseki o kakusu tame ni imi sa reta mono o mite kimashita. Anata no me wa tandoku de kare no fōmu ni motozui mitsumete iru. Sen-nen ijō mae ni mi sa rete inai. (So…you have seen what this ruin was meant to conceal. Your eyes alone have gazed upon his form; which has not been seen for more than a millennium.)**

"I grow tired of these games Spirit! Show yourself! If you are to provide my party with riddles of no use then you are of no use to me!" Azula proclaimed, very well fed up with the jargon that the ethereal being continued to spout. A short pause proved the Spirit in the least could understand Azula, and for that matter anyone who spoke the Basic Tongue.

**Hijo ni yoku shite…Denka. (Very well then…your Highness.)**

The dust and particles that made themselves present during the illumination of the mysterious youth seemed to be forging themselves as one. The swirling, spiraling motions of a barely visible celestial fusion were taking place. After a moment or two of nearly transparent particles and air forming around one another, a form lay in its place.

The Captain and his men were first to step back, many gasps and looks of petrifaction forming in their eyes. Azula merely glared at them for their cowardice, such acts were disgraceful to her Nation. Ty Lee and Mai seemed to on guard, sweat beads traced down the neck of the elegant acrobat.

Before them stood a Spirit of some sort, which according to myths and folklore Spirits could take any form they wanted…so whether or not what stood before them was the original body or a substitute that had yet to show it's inner holiness or demonic presence was debatable.

Floating high above the Fire Nation group and right next to the body of the youth was a barely visible ethereal cloak that shone just a tint of sliver. No legs or feet protruded from the bottom of the cloth, but pale blue anorexic arms hung dormant from the sleeves.

A hood wrapped over the head of its occupant, and when one looked to see the face of the heavenly being there was quite literally nothing occupying it. The hood was standing as if someone was wearing it, which was all too obvious due to the unnaturally colored arms, but no face of any sort was under the hood.

**I am Faust…Guardian of the Lost One. **

**You have demanded for me to appear in a physical form…a bold request for a mere human. Nevertheless, your indomitability has assured that your group as made it this far…Azula.**

Several eyes widened at the mention of Azula's name…for a Spirit to address anyone other than a Monk personally was quite unordinary. It was completely plausible that the Spirit had heard Azula's name while her friends and unit had spoken it whilst in the ruin…but it was still nothing to wave a finger at.

"So…you CAN speak the Basic Tongue after all. I was afraid I was communicating with a Spirit who held his lineage so far back in the past he became nothing but a rambling moron." Azula spat, earning the worried eyes of both her friends and soldiers.

**Your vain attempts to insult me are pitiful, but I shall give you credit where credit is due. Your drive to discover the secrets of this place is what allowed you and your entire group to pass through the Genjutsu set through this ruin…an impressive feat. The one who cast the technique itself only allowed a person to pass through this cave if they were TRULY determined to find the danger of this place…no matter the cost.**

Her eyes gazing upon the Spirit intently, Azula took a breath and readied herself to speak once more. "What is 'Genjutsu'? I've never heard of such a thing? Was it invented by my people and lost to the past? Or was it invented by the people whose tongue you speak?" Azula stated logically, trying to come to terms on what this Spirit was trying to prove.

**You are correct to assume otherwise, Azula. Your people did not invent Genjutsu, the Ones Who Came Before did. They invented Genjutsu as an illusionary technique to confuse, startle or sometimes even kill their foes. The Genjutsu placed on this ruin only lets a person with a strong enough will pass through its corridors without being trapped in a never-ending maze…the fact that your willpower is so strong it managed to allow an entire group of people through is incredibly impressive…even to the Ones Who Came Before.**

"Who are these people you continue to speak of? The Ones Who Came Before? Who were they? Where did they come from?" The Fire Nation Princess question, her curiosity now peaked at the thought of a race of people never even documented in the oldest Fire Nation records.

**The Ones Who Came Before existed in an ancient time…more than one thousand years before your great-grandfather was even born. Their time was long and prosperous…until they were consumed by the worst traits of your species; but such a thing has always occurred in human history.**

**Greed…Lust…Power… Pride…Envy…Jealousy…Hatred…Anger…Wrath…all these traits doomed the Ones Who Came Before; and even the precursors of the Ones Who Came Before were destroyed by the very same characteristics. **

**They doomed themselves through treachery and deception, pride and hatred towards one another escalated to a point where even my spiritual brethren consider it blasphemous. They had peace for a time, and for a many a time in fact; but such prosperities only last so long.**

**Humans love to kill…it's as simple as that. It's almost a wanting for your species entirely…to strike down others simply because you have the power to…it's a disturbing, repetitive sequence of events. **

**History will always repeat itself because Man itself is simply a far too dangerous animal that never learns from its mistakes; your race has always been damned from the beginning it breathed its first. **

Coursing her hand through her hair, Azula shook her head in nonchalance. "I didn't come here to speak about philosophy or about how people from more than a thousand years damned themselves again…I want to know the secrets of this place, and you WILL tell me."

**Are you sure you don't wish to know of them? After all…they were your ancestors, foolish or not. **

At this revelation, the entire group grew silent, even Azula. The thought of gaining information about ancestors so old that they weren't even charted in the oldest records was a goldmine of knowledge. Perhaps the Spirit could relay techniques and wisdom of the Old Times that could be invaluable while hunting down the Avatar.

"Very well then Spirit, proceed with your tale."

**As you wish, I am glad that you did not just cast me off as a stray Spirit. My kind hardly ever shows a physical representation of our forms to mortals outside of the Spirit World…even you know that. It is done only when necessary or in a dire situation…my presence here is a bit of both.**

**The Ones Who Came Before were ancestors of ALL the Nations you lay claim to…Earth, Water, Fire and Air. But the time of your people, even hundreds of years back from this point has degraded the Nations of Before. There used to be so much more in existence than just the Elemental Nations…so much has been lost to time; and secrets by the handfuls may be perhaps forever lost to whatever future generations come. **

**Your Nation was strong even back in the Old Times…but it wasn't strong enough. Your Nation, and every other Nation, including those that weren't even Elemental Nations; were destroyed by a common foe. This person was not one of your 'Avatars' though, their order didn't even EXIST in the Old Times; though, perhaps if they did the odds could've been changed…but that within itself is debatable.**

**A man…one man…destroyed the entire world of the past; nothing over two feet high was left standing. He sought to rule it through absolute, utter control…but he accomplished no such thing; his arrogance to rule over everything among high sent the Earth into a downward spiral in which it would takes thousands of years to recover from.**

Gazing over at the corpse of the man, Azula's eyes inquired a question that the Spirit already knew the answer to. Shaking his head sternly, the Spirit looked at the deceased youth.

**I know what you're thinking…and no, the man you see before you is not the man I speak of. Quite the opposite in fact; he's the one who tried to save the world, not damn it.**

Smirking in a grim fashion, Azula crossed her arms in a bit of pride. "I'm guessing he failed?" The Princess couldn't help but flaunt sarcasm at this point.

**In a matter of speaking.**

"Even now, you only speak in riddles?"

**You'll have to forgive me about that, we Spirits are 'born' naturally cryptic...and we also have the ability to inherit sarcasm as well, your Highness.**

**The youth before you tried his damndest to save the world he knew…to save the world of the past. And, as I said before, in a matter of speaking, he did fail; but at the same time he may have well saved the entire world as well as everything and everyone who would come after his time.**

Unfortunately, that triumph itself turned out to be more of a burden and a curse than a victory at all. Out of all people, he would know; and now he's the only one who DOES know. You can see as well as I can the marking on his stomach, but you know that is not a symbol of an Avatar; or anything remotely close to it.

"Than what is it, exactly? Don't be coy with me Spirit, I wish to know exactly what I'm dealing with here; though I doubt it could be much at all, considering I walked all this way to discover a corpse."

**And even you can see that this body is in perfect condition…quite odd, is it not? That this flesh mound has not reduced to a rancid, decaying skeleton seems far beyond comprehension when over a millennia has passed.**

I have kept the body in the condition it is has been since he was sealed here; it was my directive for being summoned here, after all. I have kept his body as stabilized as the day he was sealed here through the use of consistent Spiritual Revitalization, needless to say the process is…exhausting.

**His body needs to be revitalized once every week, and we've been down here for over a thousand years. Even a Spirit can tire, but I can never die; so the relationship between is purely symbiotic.**

I have watched over this body to make sure that when someone did finally come, they would be worthy of releasing him from his slumber.

"So then, I take it you know how to 'awaken' this man from his 'slumber.' I hope you realize that not I even I can bring back the dead; even less resurrect a person who's been gone for more than a thousand years. Speaking of which, you never did tell us what the name of this oh so important character is, did you?"

**Clever girl, I never did tell you. If you want to know his name, than only he can tell you; I'll not derive him the pleasure of introducing himself after being in this state for so long. However, there IS a way to bring this one back; though I use that term loosely as he never truly 'died' at all. Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation…are you ready to unleash upon the world the Dawn of a New Age?**

"I dare, Faust! I'm ready! I am ALWAYS ready!"

**Brash and fiery…if I recall, he was a lot like that once too. You two may get along just fine…or you might end up trying to kill each other.**

Smirking at the challenge that beckoned, Azula rain her hands through her hair for composure, cracked her knuckles and flashed a confident look at the faceless Spirit before her. Ty Lee and Mai could only wonder if inside the empty hood, Faust's true face was smiling in another dimension.

"What must I do?" The Princess asked, finally collected in her decision.

**You must strike the symbol on his stomach with all your might; you must channel all your will, all your drive, into one attack and one attack only. **

**From what we Spirits understand, the strongest essence of fire that Those Of Today can grasp is a singular bolt of lightning; your form is limited, but it is understandable why you lack the knowledge of greater power. And now, you understand why your people are not as powerful as they could've potentially been; all because of hatred and greed.**

**I must warn you though, as it is my duty to do so. Doing this, as I have said, will forever change this world; NOTHING will ever be the same again. **

**Additionally, if you are successful in waking him; those not worthy of witnessing his rebirth will die…their deaths will only serve to grant him more strength. **

There was an understandable pause in the group's movements, everything ceased to be for a moment. The Captain and his soldiers backed up ever so slowly, while Azula held her ground out of her pride that commanded it. Mai glanced at Ty Lee, who had neared her closer and closer, almost begging for any kind of reassurance that everything was going to be all right.

"Consider it done, Spirit. I shall play your game, and I even more so I shall prove that those of this Nation have not lost their ambition yet!" Azula declared proudly, slowly beginning to strike several poses necessary to enhance the flow of Chi from her body into her finger tips. An aura emerged from the pale darkness; azure sparks of sheer power and will coursed began to make themselves present through Azula's hands.

The men, whose job was to serve Azula till whatever end that may come, started to bolt towards the door. Even though the massive gate was clearly tightly closed shut, that didn't stop from beating it with their fists, trying to find alternate ways to open it and even striking the door with their weapons. Mai could only glare at their incompetence and cowardice, while Ty Lee stared in awe at the concentration of her friend's rhythms.

Azula had heard the footsteps that escalated to running toward the entrance; for the moment, she didn't care. Those who had pledged to serve the Fire Nation and only sought to run and hide when true danger showed itself were of no use to her; she would deal with them later, in the most severe manner possible.

The moment was near; Azula had practiced the art of conjuring lightning many times, it was something only the most elite Firebenders could master. To her own knowledge the only Firebenders she knew that even had the ability to use lightning in any matter were her treacherous uncle, her father, and herself.

Always she had been told by Lo and Li that her bending was 'almost perfect', with only one hair out of place. For Azula, it was one hair too many; for her, a single follicle that betrayed her stance was a failure. The bolt that needed to be cast here demanded absolute perfection, nothing less but everything more so than what it had been beforehand.

Readying herself one last time, Azula prepared to strike with all her might. The pleas of the Captain and his troopers she faintly heard, begging her to cease her actions.

_Pathetic! They wish me to stop! After I have come this far to find something that could very well turn the tide of this war? Spirits never lie; it's not in their nature to do so! And for any living person to summon a spirit to play protector for over a millennium, that action in itself commands power that the people of this world no longer have!_

_If awakening this man truly brings about the Dawn of a New Age than it shall be nothing less than the royal blood of the Fire Nation who accomplished that feat!_

Extending two of her fingers forward, an elegant yet powerful lightning bolt emerged from the tips of Azula's nails. The voltage traced it's in a serpentine fashion to the tattoo that marked itself ominously on the youth's stomach; for just a moment, time itself seemed to stop.

As expected, the boy's body convulsed after being struck with such a surge of energy. As a result the spasms that his body continued to endure forcefully opened his eyes; illuminated by an azure flash of light due to Azula's technique. After what seemed what like forever, but in reality only more than a few moments had passed, there was only silence.

Everyone had fallen deathly quiet, waiting for something of providence or damnation to occur, even Azula stood ready. She had tried to make sure her one attack was nothing less than perfect; but her admirable effort aside, one hair still stood out of place. Azula cursed herself in silence; her attack STILL hadn't been perfect! Even after all that concentration, all the preparation needed to deliver one absolute strike…wasted!

For a few seconds, nothing of any said mysticism declared by Faust happened in any manner. There was no resurrection of a long dead corpse, nor the rebirth of a God-like being who could challenge the Avatar; or who could perhaps overcome a hundred Avatars tenfold.

Before Azula could curse aloud at her botched attempt at resurrecting some sort of Devil God, a barely noticeable but foreboding rumble came forth. All eyes focused on the figure that dangled precariously high above them; the rumble began to creep from its barely audible whisper to a much more commanding tone.

The room began to shake as if an angry God had been awoken from its long slumber, and perhaps the entire ruin was feeling the fury that accompanied the earthquake before it. The guards and their Captain began banging on the door, their panic rising in a desperate bid for freedom…they would find none.

Partial segments of the roof of the large room began dislodging themselves, only to be shot down by Azula's flames if they neared her or the two she considered her friends. Not all could be shot down of course; pieces of ancient stone began to litter the floor in piles.

_At this rate we'll be buried alive! If that damnable Spirit was lying to me then more the fool I!_

Azula cursed her luck, and she promised to herself she would continue to do more-so if some ragtime, foolish venture such as this one would be the end of her life as well as her friends. Death however, decided to temporarily postpone its illustrious services to those in peril; a phenomenal mercy many are rarely given.

The tremors stopped, any and all movement ceased. The consistent rattling of the tormented prisoner's chains stopped; and all eyes once more fell upon him. A look of inquiry shot upon both Mai and Ty Lee's faces, in which an equally confused Azula could not provide them with an answer.

Azula cautiously took a few steps forward…wanting to get a closer look to see if anything about the supposed anti-Messiah was true. His eyes were once again closed, no longer held captive by Azula's lightning. The spasms that wracked his body had all but ceased, not even a hint of an occasional twitch here or there made itself prevalent…until the slightest movement made itself noticeable in his hands.

A twitch.

From both hands.

Azula stepped back slowly, knowing full well that her volt had indeed triggered _**something**_, in the least. With another twitch from his wrists, and his fingers slowly moving; the being before the decently sized began to awaken before their eyes.

His eyes opened suddenly, a large burst of an illuminating burst of pale red consumed them both. The glowing gaze seemed to be intently studying Azula's group with keen interest; and the eyes themselves seemed to widen a bit when they gazed upon the Fire Nation Princess herself. Then, they narrowed calmly, assessing the situation with apparent consideration.

The chains that had cruelly attached themselves into the boys' skin began to literally dissolve as the same pale red light that illuminated the man's eyes began to calmly disintegrate his constraints. He began to float in midair almost mystically, like the Spirit from before had done when it 'graced' Azula with its presence.

The grievous wounds that remained bloody and dry seemed to glow in crimson patches for a few moments, and then they all but disappeared. The flesh that was ripped open and putrid was now smooth and clear as any other normal persons; a lifetime of brutal injuries undone in an instant.

Crossing his arms in an "X" position slowly, Azula readied herself in case the mysterious youth were to initiate an attack of some sort. Though, if the Spirit's words were true than this man had more than enough power to annihilate her singlehandedly, tenfold. Azula herself was still hesitant to believe that the being before her was really some sort of Devil, Messiah or Demigod; but after coming so far to reach his worth must be in the least considerable.

Extending both his arms to his sides at a frightening speed, the symbols on his stomach began to glow a dark red. The tension was overbearing, the letters of the Dead Language didn't seem to exactly relay providence of any sort; if anything, damnation.

And that's exactly what would come to those less worthy…as Faust had foresaid.

Multiple thin beams of red light burst from the boy's stomach, tearing through the air before them; with an ever malicious intention to find their targets. Azula, Mai and Ty Lee at this point were already in their combat positions; ready to try and dodge the courses of light at any means necessary.

The shot forward towards the group at a frightening pace, as Azula and her friends tensed as the beams drew closer, they surprised to find that the lights made no effort to try to harm them.

The lights had already chosen their targets.

The rays pierced into the stomachs of all the soldiers that cowered beforehand, the Captain included. All of them were lifted into the air, screaming in horrendous agony. There appeared to be no physical damage of any kind done to them; yet the lights had still pierced them through and caused them horrible pain.

The lights began to grow brighter, and the screams only grew louder. Ty Lee had covered her ears and dropped to her knees, unused to such dark, intrusive violence. Azula and Mai's eyes began to widen as they realized the horrifying realization of what the beams were doing.

Azula's men were literally deteriorating before her eyes; as if time had suddenly decided to take all their remaining life all at once. Their bodies were aging at a dangerous rate, they began to shrivel, and bones of all sorts began to show immense visibility due to a lack of a healthy body and skin. Their hair began to literally evaporate; all their throats began to dry with the decrepit features of age. Their eyes began to lose their focus, growing ever dimmer as the youth was rapidly drained out of them.

Within a matter of moments, nearly all the flesh from Azula's men had vanished, and only crumbling corpses remained afloat. Mai covered her mouth in disgust, while Ty Lee cried tears of unimaginable horror and began to vomit out of uncontrollable fear.

When the demonic tendrils had apparently retrieved what they sought from the militia, they released their grips; sending the now skeletal bodies still draped with closing crashing to the floor. Instead of hearing the sickening sounds of bones breaking against the floor, there were only soft thuds instead; the marrows of each and every bone of every soldier had been absorbed, the impact of falling crushed what little bone marrow there was left to dust.

The lights retreated to their host, who now began to slowly descend towards the floor below him. The three girls turned their heads to the being that just upon his rebirth had killed over ten men, and in an incredibly horrifying way to boot. The balls of his feet were the first thing to reach the ground below him, and the rest of his body followed shortly.

A faint but immensely powerful presence could be felt as the youth's feet finally met the ground. The illumination that clouded his eyes had faded, revealing their true colors after so many years of blackness. As expected, the disfiguring scar that had bore itself on the man's face had rendered his vision in his right eye useless. A dull, pale green replace the vibrancy of what was once an azure blue; as evidenced by the color of his left eye.

The strange youth took a moment to come to terms with his awakening, blinking a few times and stretching out his tense muscles while surveying his surroundings. His vision halted when he saw Azula and her group, his one good eye squinted a bit to observe them, studying them almost. Azula herself refused to be intimidated by the released prisoner, no matter how powerful he was in the tales that the Spirit had woven for her and her team.

Her fierce glare accompanied by her piercing golden eyes would've made any man cower in fear or in the least stand down, but not this one. The boy seemed amused by her refusal to show any sign of weakness; instead of a sign of submission he merely smirked instead; revealing some of his teeth to be of unusual sharpness.

He didn't know how much had passed since being sealed, but to him, it didn't matter.

All that mattered now was that what stood in front of him was a challenge…a challenge of a new world on the horizon. He knew that just by the looks on their faces that his time, his world, had passed on long ago…and he still knew he was to blame for it.

But it didn't matter now…all that mattered to him now was NOT creating another Apocalypse.

What stood before him was chance to begin anew, in a world that he didn't know and in a world that most certainly didn't know him. This was a chance to make everything right, to make everything like it should've been in the first place.

And he'd be damned if he missed the opportunity to fix what he broke. Clearing his voice with a rusty cough emanating from a dusty windpipe, the youth looked upon the three young women in front of him.

Things were about to get interesting again, that was for certain; even though groggy and somewhat disoriented, he was sure he was still in his home country. And if that was still so, he'd have a lot of work to do.

Where would he start he wondered?

Which land would he restore first? Were his Paths still in check? What was the limit to the Impure World Resurrection Technique? How many people could he bring back? And what of his lovers? Could they be returned as well?

Restoring his rights of nobility granted upon him by the marriages that were supposed to occur, bringing back his friends and allies, ressurecting all of the lovely ladies whose hearts he captured, getting the current world to recognize the revival and sovereignty of said lands, restoring the Uzumaki Clan, checking to see if the Kyuubi no Yoko was still alive, seeing what the future was like, and most importantly, not bringing on the end of the world again.

With such an exhausting resume in front of him, Naruto could only shake his head in nonchalance; things for him especially were never easy, but that's what made it all the more fun in the end.

Taking a deep breath, and looking at three ladies in front of him, Naruto could only smirk.

…As far as he was concerned, a brand new era was about to begin, not only for himself, but for the entire world as well.

…Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, The Second Yellow Flash, The Child of Prophecy, had finally returned.

And more importantly, this time he was ready.

This time he was prepared.

This time…things would be different.  
_

**Author's Note: Hope all of you enjoyed the beginning chapter of Returner: Echoes of a Legend; I know I did. It's going to be epic length, I can tell you all that much for certain, given that the first chapter is twenty five pages long and I need an additional twenty something pages to explain what the hell is going on/going to happen.**

**Also, Naruto was one busy son of a bitch before he got where he was sealed away, so he'll have a shitload of abilities and powers that attained after the Fourth Ninja World War. **

**But yeah, just because the Fourth Ninja World War ended doesn't mean Naruto's story did. In fact, it'll be revealed how Naruto spent his time after the FNWW and how many years he was active afterward before he was sealed away. It will also be told why he was sealed away and who decided to seal him away to begin with.**

**He'll get to tell everyone how he was bestowed with such amazing powers and weaponry; as it is only natural for plot convenience and to let the readers what the hell is going on how he attained this or that.**

**When it comes down to the Harem, I've thought about my choices carefully. Sure, granted, there's going to be quite a lot of females he'll have to contend with. But my point is that I'm not adding EVERY female from each series incorporate into the Harem itself; it would grow WAY out of proportion and would be incredibly difficult to manage. The way the Harem is now, I don't dare add another girl; people are probably going to hate me anyway for how large it is already.**

**The critics of a fan work usually give some pretty decent advice when they aren't being thirteen year-old whiny nitpicks (c'mon, we all someone whose like that), to me it's just better to hear your fans out then tune them out entirely.**

**Granted, what they have to say all the time may not be generally positive; but that's what balances the ego of a writer in particular. Give the writer to much praise, and he/she's an egotistical moron; give them too much hate, and he/she's a depressed puppy who most likely won't continue his/her project due to lack of motivation.**

**All this being said, it's time to lay some ground rules down for all those who intend to keep reading. If you don't like any of these rules, this fic probably isn't for you, so just calmly walk away, or, if you have to, state your opinion whether it's good or bad; to each his/her own.**

**1) As stated before, the Harem won't contain every female from each separate universe I include. Just because something is female doesn't mean Naruto has to bang it; Harem fics shouldn't work like that to begin with.**

**2) Some taboos will be introduced with the story, so if you hold your values at heart or are incredibly religious; you might want to move onto another tale. One of those taboos I can name off the top of my head is incest; I really can't label homosexuality as a taboo since I see that as being just as normal as a heterosexual relationship. There will also be Younger-Older Relationships, so be mindful of what you'll read in the future and try to keep an open mind.**

**3) I won't go overboard with the Crossovers and invite everything from Sonic the Hedgehog to Red Dead Redemption into the mix. No, I've already chosen what Crossovers I'm going to include and I don't intend to add any more than I already have planned; and I'm planning for each Crossover to "fit" well with each introduced Universe. The plot will be massive and complex yes, but it won't be all over the place. I have everything already planned out for each and every scenario after at least a month of intense research and though dedicated to placing detail to its precise location. **

**4) Naruto is going to be very, very, very, VERY powerful. I'd even say this is a Super Naruto story; HOWEVER, he will STILL have flaws and exploitable weaknesses. However powerful someone is, no matter even if they seem invincible, the point is that they are not. No one is ever TRULY invincible; ridiculously powerful and SEEMINGLY unstoppable, but every person has their own version of Kryptonite, their own Achilles Heel. Plus, I'm sure plenty of people know that if a person states they are a God or that they're invincible, we ALL know they're not. How many times has a person (usually the villain) say in an anime or in a videogame that they're invincible and there's no possible way you can defeat them when there is indeed a way to defeat them?**

**Hmm, let me think…**  
**-Alduin, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim**  
**-Sigma, Megaman X Series**  
**-Frieza and Cell, Dragonball Z**  
**-Nearly every DBZ Movie Villain, Dragonball Z**  
**-Orochimaru, Naruto**  
**-Unicron, Transformers**  
**-Darth Malak, Knights of the Old Republic**  
**-Darth Sion, Knight of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords  
****-Abadd, Panzer Dragoon Orta  
-Master Li, Jade Empire  
-Sovereign, Mass Effect  
-Queen Beryl, Sailor Moon  
-The Shredder, Ninja Turtles  
-The Nightmare King, Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland  
-Pablo, Alter Echo  
-Malphas, Trapt  
-Mephiles the Dark, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006  
-Devimon and Myotismon, Digimon  
-Andross, Star Fox  
-Maurits and Schwartz, Tales of Legendia  
****-Darkseid, Superman: The Animated Series/Justice League  
-Satan, Dante's Inferno  
-Noir, La Pucelle: Tactics  
-Shadoon, Brute Force  
-The Drej, Titan AE  
-Ivan Ooze, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie  
-Frank Fontaine, Bioshock  
-Freddy Krueger, Nightmare on Elm Street  
-ExDeath, Final Fantasy V  
-Sephiroth, Final Fantasy VII  
-The Dark King, Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest  
-Gongora, Lost Odyssey  
-Main Villains of World of Warcraft, World of Warcraft  
-Empera Seijin, Ultraman Mebius  
-Ultraman Belial, Ultra Galaxy Legend: The Movie**

…**And so on and so forth, my point ultimately being that while Naruto might seem unstoppable, he isn't entirely invincible and has weaknesses/flaws/exploitations.**

**Here are the Crossovers that will be in this story, this list is final, and so suggestions for fictional universes to be included will not be taken.**

**Also remember this VERY vital detail; just because something is going to be included doesn't mean the "World" of that story will be introduced as well. Crossovers will still feature the characters (sometimes not all of them for convenience) and elements from said "World", but that doesn't mean the "World" within itself has to be introduced.**

**Some of the plotlines for some of these Crossovers will remain the same; but obviously the "World" for all to coexist in is going to be just one world as a whole. And other plotlines for some of the Crossovers are obviously going to need a bit of an overhaul, but I won't change any of them completely to the point where they're unrecognizable.**

**You viewers also might have noticed that Azula and her friends are sent out to help Admiral Zhao BEFORE the assault on the Northern Water Tribe; unlike in the canon where Azula is introduced in Season II after the death Zhao through Aang's Avatar State.**

**Since this fanfiction, obviously things can happen much differently than they originally had. With Naruto undoubtedly joining the fray, how will this affect the battle as a whole? The fates of certain characters as a whole will be changed by this incident; and yes, it's more or less obvious than Yue will be one of those characters. But don't let that fool you that everything's going to be Candy Cane Lane; sacrifices are going to be made and a lot more destruction/death will occur with Naruto around.**

**Naruto's Assorted Weaponry**  
**-Tri-Pronged Kunai for "Flying Thunder God" Technique; Naruto can utilize the FTG Technique with the Onibacho as well.**  
**-Kubikiribocho, the sword of Momochi Zabuza.**  
**-Onibacho, the ancient blade of the Uzumaki Clan.**  
**-Shichiseiken, the Seven Star Blade, the sword of the original Rikudo Sennin.**  
**-Bashosen, the War Fan of the original Rikudo Sennin. _  
**  
**I'll also try to keep tabs on Naruto using the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique; yes, he knows it in this fic, but he's not going to be bringing every single character from his world back to life. It would get too complicated that way, plus, the amount of Chakra needed to do so would most definitely kill him, as would the continued use of such a technique since it ended up killing Nagato due to Chakra exhaustion.**

**The Harem below contains all the girls who will be part of Naruto's harem, though just because someone is female in this fic doesn't mean Naruto will bang her.**

**Naruto has Paths of Pain, similar to how other fics give him this ability, however, instead of six, there are nine instead in relation to the Kyuubi being sealed inside Naruto. The three extra bodies are Fanmade and thus their names and abilities all reside from me. Their abilities will be explained in greater detail later on as the fic unfolds.**

**Naruto's Paths of Pain****  
Deva Path-Naruto Uzumaki  
Asura Path-Han  
Human Path-Utakata  
Animal Path-Roshi  
Preta Path-Kirabi  
Naraka Path-Sabaku no Gaara  
Brahma Path-Yugito Nii  
Shiva Path-Yagura  
Vishnu Path-Fu**

**Naruto's Harem  
****Kushina Uzumaki  
Naruko Uzumaki  
Mei Terumi  
Tsunade Senju  
****Temari  
Hinata  
Hotaru  
Shizuka  
Hokuto  
Karin  
****Toph  
Smellerbee  
Jin  
June  
Katara  
Kya  
Yue  
Azula  
Ursa  
Ty Lee  
****Mai  
On Ji **

**FINALLY, remember that not all of the pairings will happen at once. Each member of the Harem will be included over time and have to run its course to make it seem more realistic; otherwise it's just a clusterfuck of Naruto with of bunch rampant girls after him.**

**You may think the Harem is rather robust (I certainly think it is), but I've seen fics that try to pair Naruto up with every girl from his entire series run. I had to cut a few names here and there to make sure I got what I wanted without it being incredibly over the top. Not only that, but people from Naruto's World will have actually gotten together; who got together and how will be mentioned in the next Chapter. Just because Naruto gets one helluva Harem doesn't mean that everyone else from his time got left out high and dry.**

**Anyway, read and review, that's all I ask; I'll update the story as long as people tell me what they think of it. Criticize certain aspects if you feel the need to, I know it has some flaws here and there, but I'll get around to em.**

**You can give your honest opinion of the work, as I would ask nothing else of people other than to voice what they really think; I however politely request that you reviewers of this work go off on some mad tangent of how my work sucks and I should kill myself over it or something like that. To some it all up in one sentence, give me your honest opinion, but don't be an overanalyzing douche about it; simple enough trade-off, no?**

Chapters II and III are already done, it's just a matter of you guys reviewing it all to give me motivation to put them up and continue the story. 

**Til****l next time!**

**-TheArkofAwesome.**


	2. Chapter II: Awakened

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything in you see in this crossover, I'm just a fan of the works you see here.**

**Author's Note: Hope all of you eager viewers out there enjoy Chapter II; I'm sticking with this story until its finished; one way or another!**

**First off, I'd like to apologize for holding future Chapter's "hostage" as I've heard the time been used multiple times thus far. From now on I will post the Chapters periodically when I am done with each one, for example I will only post Chapter 5 when I am done with Chapter 6; in order to give viewers enough time to read one Chapter (give or take I'll wait about four/five days) then I'll post the next Chapter afterwards.I've actually had to split Chapter 3 into two Seperate Parts; Chapter's 3 & 4, because I felt it was way too long.**

**I'm almost done with Chapter 5, and Chapter 6 is already in progress.*Key*  
**"Talking"  
_Thinking__  
_**"Kyuubi Talking"  
**_**Kyuubi Thinking**_

***Japanese Key*  
Baa-chan=Grandma. (This refers to Tsunade.)  
Oji-chan=Grandpa. (This refers to Jiraiya.)  
Oji-san=Old Man. (This usually refers to Hiruzen Sarutobi, unless Naruto uses the term to piss someone old off *cough cough Pakku cough cough*.)  
Teme=Bastard.  
Chan=An affectionate term used by boys to be said to girls they like, a term of familiarity amongst the Japanese. The opposite of Chan is the word Kun, a suffix used by girls to address boys they admire.  
Hime=Princess. (This will usually refer to Azula, but Naruto will use this term to Yue when he meets her as well; he will also playfully use this suffix to antagonize Azula once in a while.)  
Gaki=A degrading term in the Japanese language, usually means 'Brat.'  
Shinra Tensei=Almighty Push.  
Katon: Fureasutomu no Jutsu=Fire Style: Flare Storm Jutsu.  
Raiton: Borutotorunedo-jutsu o sekken=Lightning Style: Sweeping Bolt Tornado Jutsu.  
Doton: Rakka sekijun no Jutsu=Earth Release: Freefall Stalagmite Jutsu.  
Gedo: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu=Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.  
Jikukan Ido=Space Time Migration.  
Hi no Kuni=Land of Fire.  
Konohagakure=Village Hidden by the Leaves.  
Sunagakure=Village Hidden by Sand.  
Iwagakure=Hidden Stone Village.  
Amegakure=Village Hidden by Rain.  
Kirigakure=Village Hidden by Mist.  
Kumogakure=Village Hidden by Clouds.  
Otogakure=Village Hidden by Sound.  
Hoshigakure=Village Hidden among Stars.  
Nadeshiko no Sato=Nadeshiko Village.  
Konoha no Kirroi Senko=Konoha's Yellow Flash.  
Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shu=Seven Swordsman of the Mist. **

**Allow me to alleviate some fears some of the viewers (you guys) listed for the reviews of Chapter I.**

**1) _Twenty-two members of the harem? Really? I know Naruto is considered a Stamina God, but even that seems a bit much. I mean, Temari and Shikamaru seemed to work well. Karin May work out, based on how Sasuke betrayed her, but why would Katara, Toph and Yue join up. Katara hates all things Fire Nation, Toph likes Sokka for some reason, and Yue died after Admiral Zhao tried to kill the Moon Spirit.-Tanequin._**

**Response: Please remember that I noted pairings would be added slowly throughout the story and note happen immediately; I have read other fanfics where Naruto gets literally every girl imaginable in one Chapter, it's absolutely ridiculous. Plus, Naruto (in this story anyway) is a very charismatic person; capable of providing good arguements that shows the logic of each side's purpose without truly taking a side. And since this is a fanfic, characters canon opinions of certain things/people can change; not immediately to be granted realism, but they can change over time.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: The girls of the Avatar World (not Naruto's world) aren't exactly going to fall in love with him immediately like other Harem Stories, granted while there's a lot of fanservice in those stories it isn't exactly realistic. Since there's going to be alot of Chapters each of which is very long length expect romances to paced out and not immediate. Lemons may come in due time, but if you're just here for smut this isn't your story.**

**2) _I was hoping for something a bit more... on the evil side. I'll admit I was a bit put off by the whole 'redemption' issue... though, thinking about it, an apocalypse is bad on both sides, isn't it?-Grytr._Response: Granted, I can see your point of view. But as you yourself stated, wouldn't an apocalypse be bad on both sides? **

**Madara wanted to rule the world, not destroy it; devastating the world really wasn't his agenda, so if Earth was ruined it would be an enormous travesty for him as well. As for the 'redemption' issue when it comes to Naruto, look at it this way; if you were the only one who could save the world and you failed in the worst possible way (the near complete destruction of Earth itself) wouldn't you feel ungodly horrible about failing to save everyone you came to love and everything you swore to protect? Such is Naruto's issue, he feels guilty about the world he couldn't save and wants to 'redeem' himself here. Plus, there's also the fact that being 'Evil' and 'Dark' are two completely different things; Dark may border on the edge of Evil but it remains true to Good nontheless, albeit with making harsher decisions for the greater Good, despite what moral dillema's such situations could represent.**

**3) On a side note I wanted to apologize for some the grammitcal errors in Chapter I; whenever I transfer a story to it does it bests to fuck up my grammar; I went back and changed things I new got messed up through but I knew I was going to** miss **a few of my mistakes despite my efforts. Again, I apologize for any quirky errors you might encounter but rest assured I'll keep trying to fix anything I can find; there's nothing worse than sloppy writing.**

**4) _Aww, and I was hoping that Anko would be in the Harem too (I rather like adding Anko to any Naru-Harem)...Tsunade was a bit iffy a choice seeing as she's related to Naruto and all. But other than that, I rather liked that you added Mei and Hinata as well...-Kurogane7__  
_  
Response: With all due honesty I felt a bit guilty about leaving Anko out of the Harem; she's one of my favorite female characters of Naruto and one of the best damn characters in the show period. The reason I didn't add her is because I acknowledge the Harem is already excessive and I wanted to make it at least seem vaguely reasonable; I didn't wanted like fifty girls from Naruto's time ending up in this story with him, WAAAY to much to account for. And yes I know Tsunade is related to Naruto but keep in mind both his sister (Naruko) and his own mother (Kushina) were put in the Harem in the very first Chapter. Yes, I know it's incest and I know that subject is often taboo; but I specifically warned any viewers of its presence in this story if they were easily offended by such topics. The relationship between Naruto and his sister as well as his mother did NOT occur in his past life, it has yet to happen; meaning it will happen in the Avatar World, the "future" persay.**

**5) To anyone who questions that Naruto got all the tail in his time, NO, he didn't get ALL of it. Let me state that in this Chapter you'll find just because Naruto had alot of women to deal with doesn't mean he literally had ALL the women to deal with; other people had relationships too! That's also one of my pet peeves of Harem Stories; that not only does Naruto get anything with female parts but no other male gets to have any relationship due to the fact Naruto has literally every female in the Manga/Anime in his little collection. Just because it's a Harem Story doesn't mean that the one character designated with the Harem should have every female to the point where no one else has a shot, it's unfair and incredibly unrealistic. **

**Also, to ANYONE who questions/asks why Smellerbee is in the Harem and that I should replace her with Suki...**

**...It's not happening. Sokka is going to be with Suki, that relationship will stay the for why I put Smellerbee and not Suki and why I don't plan on reversing the two is simple, Smellerbee is WAAAY underrated. She's hardly ever used in stories that don't deal with her being paired up with either Longshot or Jet; unlike Katara and Sokka who get paired up with everybody, even one another (Watercest exists, you don't have to search too hard to find it.)**

**Plus, she always reminded me alot of Toph, just with the key difference of being able to see.**

**6) _On a side note I'm honestly OK with the harem the only things i can say in regards to it though is, to make it better, write a story that takes place before this one to detail how everything happened. I mean i could see writing a chapter or two but I honestly feel that wouldn't do this story justice. Second, I don't understand how Kya could be added to the harem I mean unless mind control is used I don't see it_ working.-_PuricKnight._**

**Response: I can understand your concerns amigo, with some tales it's never really said how Naruto's world "ended" its just implied. As for how Naruto gained such an immense amount of power and skills, that too will be revealed as will what exactly occurred in the past. As for Kya, yes, I know she's dead at this point but since *Spoiler* Naruto has the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique it doesn't mean she's going to specifically stay dead. Though when she does eventually return she won't exactly be the "same" Kya that Katara remembers; it won't be because of any mind control, but of a fault brought on upon by the Samsara Technique on Naruto's part.**

***SPOILER* I initially didn't want to reveal this to keep it a surprise but Naruto's past isn't exactly going to "stay dead" persay. Something (or rather someone) from his past was reawakened as a result from when he he (Naruto) was; and that person (once he confronts Naruto) will often talk of the past as well. I'm not saying who this person is though, that's a I state beforehand, how Naruto attained such power and strengths will be eventually be uncovered for how they came to be, some material will be brought to the surface Chapter by Chapter; this also goes for how Naruto's world ended. And yes, it will be eventually be revealed who sealed Naruto away and for what purpose; that issue won't exactly be left hung to dry. **

**All I'll confirm for now is that it WASN'T Faust; if anything Faust SAVED him from the one who sealed him away in the first place, and I shouldn't even be saying that much to begin it comes to Main Villains, here's what's in store for the future.**

**Villain Line Up:  
Avatar The Last Airbender Villain-Fire Lord Ozai  
Naruto Villain-To Be Revealed (Not Madara)  
Original OC Villain-The One Who Sealed Naruto Away. (Will be revealed in time, to be a Major Villain alongside Ozai and Naruto's old enemy.)**

**Side Villains:  
Admiral Zhao  
Long Feng  
Combustion Man**

**I'm very grateful to you all for the attention this story has been getting thanks to your reviews. Criticism and questioning is accepted, I will do my best to make the story better, answer people's questions indirectly through the story and directly through Author's Notes, and keep in mind my faults to improve upon a side note, I know this is story isn't gonna please everyone; so if you're gonna do nothing but flame than I suggest you troll elsewhere. Constructive criticism is welcomed, calling the story bullshit just because you don't like it's principals is not helpful.**

**7) _Pretty good first chapter. Looking forward to seeing where it goes. I do hope you slim the harem down maybe two or three members just to not make it such a clustered mesh of people, especially with all the vastly differing personalities. Also a change in general to the harem is drop Hinata, who is vastly overused as a pairing at this point, and replace her with her sister Hanabi. Though to point out the rinnegan can only revive the recently deceased, and given it was the Sage of the Six Paths that created the Kyuubi there is no reason it's power could change something that came before it to allow more paths.-Celestia GF of the_ _Void_**  
**  
Response: Funny how I was originally considering about adding Hanabi, but I cut her due to the fact that I thought literally twenty two women (over a long distance of time/Chapters mind you) would be enough for Naruto. I cannot state enough that the pairings won't happen immediately, women from the world of Avatar aren't just gonna see Naruto and say "screw me"; that's not how relationships work, lol. And as for the Rinnegan only being able to revive the recently dead and not being able to change something before it to allow more Paths, keep in mind this is fanfiction and not Canon; certain Canonical events/matters don't apply much as I would've liked to add women like Hanabi or Anko, I decided against it due to the fact there's enough women in Naruto's Harem already.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT NARUTO'S HAREM**

**Some people may be asking why I didn't include Kushina Uzumaki or Naruko Uzumaki in Naruto's remembrance of who he hooked up with through the CRA, nor have I listed them in the Couplings from the Past Naruto Universe; the answer is simple, they haven't been incorporated into the harem and Naruko will be incorporated into the harem in time, but not immediately so. As I said before when all of Naruto's girls are introduced they won't specifically all be introduced at the same time, because they all have to be brought back to life and my version of Naruto said that bringing just a few people back from the grave could knock him out cold for quite awhile. **

**He can only bring about seven to ten people back at a time without passing out from chakra exhaustion, anymore and he's out cold. Yes, I KNOW it's incest but I did specifically warn any easily offended viewers within the first Chapter of its existence in this story, so in my own opinion no one has anything to complain about if they were warned beforehand.**

**Without further adue, the finger breaking Chapter II...rhyme not intended.  
**_

Cracking his neck impatiently, the youth groaned as his bones cracked from the ache of time. Even if his body has been taken care of by a Spirit, it didn't help the matter that it still felt like he hadn't moved in a few thousand years; probably because he hadn't. His muscles were sore and wanted to employ there functions again; something he was only too glad to fulfill again. But first, it looked like he'd have to introduce himself to his 'rescuers.'

He looked up them for a few moments, pausing on what exactly he should say to the people who freed him. It's not every day a man is freed from a slumber lasting more than two thousand years, and a 'thank you' would seem like quite a tame gift to offer them.

He'd answer their questions of course, and, if there was a better way to repay them; why not? It's not like he didn't have anything better to do anyway; besides, strolling around a changed countryside that used to be his home would most likely be an interesting experience anyway.

"So…after so long, I have been awakened at long last, freed from the chains that bound me. You…the one in red...you are the one been the instrument of my revival, are you not? I can sense that you are the one who has freed me, I need not guess if one of your companions did; you have that look upon you that demands respect." The blonde spoke firmly, knowing full well of where he was and how he got there; much to the mystery of Azula and her friends.

"I can only assume Faust informed you of whom and what I am before you decided to tempt fate and release me; I can't sense his presence in this realm anymore, he must've returned to the Spirit World. I truly can't blame him for doing so; I have no doubt at least two centuries have past and it must've been very dull for him to be the source of my constant revitalization." Taking a deep breath of what little air could be found, the man ran his finger through his long hair and chuckled a bit.

"Would it be wrong of me to assume Faust never actually gave my name away in his little tirade? He was always so cryptic, but what can you expect from Spirits? They exist in an entirely different realm from us humans, and as such can't be expected to give a direct answer to us 'lowly' creatures. Though, I am far more Beast than human anymore…the will of a Spirit like him playing Guardian for so long proves that I am just a very important animal that in need of supervision." The man chuckled grimly, arching an eyebrow of Azula's in apparent curiosity.

"The manner in which you address yourself seems a little bit unbecoming of a person who was made out to be so powerful by a Spirit of all things. If you are truly as described, you'd think someone so powerful would've had a more royal view of himself." Azula commented dryly, earning a rough chuckle from the blonde.

"Oh, and what tales has Faust wove to you and your friends I wonder? That I was the Messiah of my time? That I was the Devil Incarnate? Or perhaps some kind of tragic hero of Demigod status? Such things are so cliché! I prefer to deviate from such tales! If anything, I am only a stranger to this world and the next…nothing more, nothing less." The blonde stated, more than a bit of a cryptic sense evident in his tone. "I see being around a Spirit for so long has effected you more than you realize; you talk in the same manner as well." The Princess inquired, in which the youth merely smirked.

"If anything, I gained that little quirk from traveling the world so long after Madara damned it. When you're the only person of a free mind in the entire world, there is so much you can learn; especially when considering that everyone else is literally unable to voice their own opinions." The youth stated rather darkly, earning a curious stare from all three ladies before him.

"Madara? Is that a person of any relevance I should know about?" Azula commented curiously, earning a much more intensified stare from the cryptic blonde.

"A name that belonged to a man who lived in a world which is long since gone; and much like that world his name has lost all significance it once held. Do not fret, you'll eventually hear that tale in due time…my Hime." The man smiled, earning an even more interested look from the Fire Princess.

He began cracking all of his stiff joints and bones, earning flinching glances from Ty Lee and Mai. At one point it looked the man was going to bend his skull frame in a complete three-sixty, but he stopped right before reaching that point and let his neck zip sickeningly back into place with a disturbing crunching sound accommodating it.

"You never actually did tell me your name, stranger. My party and I have deviated from locating the Avatar for this little misadventure, so you damned well better be worth all the things the Spirit claimed you to be; and what the hell does Hime mean? Is that another word from your Dead Language?" Azula gruffly stated, her patience starting to wear thin of all the riddles and constant avoidance of question she had endured from entering such a dank cave. Sighing heavily, the blonde shut his eyes for a moment and then opened them; accompanied by a rather cocky smirk at the same time.

"My name is Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, but you can just call me Naruto if you prefer; it's much easier to remember I'm sure. I see so much time has passed that a mere suffix from my time is considered to be a mystery to you people? Hime means 'Princess', in either admiration or as a title…you are a Princess, aren't you? And if memory serves correct, the country that I once called my home was Hi no Kuni, the Land of Fire…has that changed as well?" Naruto solemnly asked, fearing that so much time had passed that none of the world he knew even existed anymore. Azula's eyes widened at the blonde's statement, that he was a resident of her land from the times of old.

"You…your homeland was somewhere in the Fire Nation? This certainly changes things, considering if what the Spirit said was true, this could change every textbook in history! If such an ancient time were to have existed that is so far lost to my people that our oldest records have no mention it's existence, than you are quite literally a living monument dedicated to Fire Nation history beyond the time of my great-grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin." Azula proclaimed, obviously enthralled with the idea of unknown knowledge and power being brought to the foot of her father and to her Nation itself. Ty Lee and Mai looked at each other in something short of bewilderment, surprised at Azula's newfound burst of enthusiasm regarding history of all things.

_This is nothing short of a monumental discovery…and even that in itself is an understatement. If this man really did manage to save the world from complete damnation from the man known as Madara he may as well be a precursor to the Avatars; who didn't even EXIST in his time! I only pray that he does not suffer the simple-minded foolishness like the Avatars, otherwise this venture may as well be a complete waste.__All this power emanating from him…how many secrets does he hold? He could teach us the ancient fighting styles of the Fire Nation…and even beyond that I'm willing to bet. If he truly is what the Spirit made him out to be, he could improve our chances of winning the war against the other Nations…perhaps even against the Avatar.__But there is the matter if he's even willing to help the Fire Nation at all…he may not feel the same loyalty to this Nation as he once did. _

_And if he decides to side with the Avatar and the other Nations, it would be a considerable loss to lose such a powerful ally; and it would be an even further setback to gain such a powerful enemy.__I only wish the Spirit was more direct in his meanings to the titles he gave this man, in one version he makes him out to be an ancient Messiah of the Fire Nation and in another tale he's the one who brought upon an Apcocalypse that very well near damned the world as a whole. But this man, Naruto, claims that this other man named Madara was the Harbinger behind the supposed end of the world so long ago...so which is it? _

_Is Naruto a Messiah preceeding the Order of the Avatars or is he some kind of catastrophic monster who ended up destroying the entire world? Or does the former title belong to this Madara person, who Naruto seems to view with spite?__It's all a matter of conversing with him about it...if I can get him to ally himself with us first of course. _

"I have so many questions for you, but first you must answer this one in the least. How did you know I'm a Princess? Did the Royal Seal of the Fire Nation exist even back then?" Azula questioned, pointing to her headpiece as evidence of her claim. The blonde enigma looked puzzled for a moment, trying to rattle his brain to retrieve the faded memories he still possessed.

For a moment or two, he didn't react to Azula's question at all; earning an arched eyebrow from the impatient Princess. It took only a few more seconds for Naruto to recall what was the Hi No Kuni of the past; and the contents and characters of its people. To him it didn't matter how much time had passed, whatever the land that he now shifted his feet through was presently called; it was still as much his homeland as it was so many years ago.

"That is the Royal Seal of Hi No Kuni royalty, only those direct to the throne of this land have the right to possess it. It appears my memories are not as faded as they should be; I may owe more credit to Faust then I may have first thought, given the fact he has been constantly rejuvenating my body with his own spiritual powers."

"This may have kept my memory much more stable than it could've been had I not had a Spirit watching over me; a pleasant convenience if I may say so myself." Naruto smiled brightly, thanking whatever Fate for the chance it had given him. Azula on the other hand, was now reveling in "her" discovery of finding the ancient golden-haired warrior.

_So then it's true…my Nation has existed from times so ancient that we can't even remember it. I don't know whether to feel thrilled or disappointed. While this is a grand discovery for our peoples heritage and perhaps gaining a very powerful ally to the Fire Nation itself as well, I can't help but lament at all the knowledge my homeland has lost over time's cruel passage.__If Naruto is truly as powerful as the Spirit says, which I doubt to a degree of sensibility; than the ancient styles he possess are most likely incredibly complex. Perhaps the abilities and attributes needed to attain the skills he knows are not even hereditary in the genes of our people anymore. _

_And if there is any possible chance he could teach me any of the powers he possesses…those skills, if there is any truth to them, could make me even more of a force to be reckoned with. I already know I'm more than a match for this Avatar, but having a few unexpected tricks up my sleeves could come in quite handy on this journey. __  
_  
Clearing her throat, Azula gathered her composure and stared intently at the ancient being before her. "So…the Spirit really was telling the truth…when it comes to how long you've existed anyway." Azula calmly stated, earning a smirk and an arched eyebrow from Naruto.

"And what's that supposed to imply your Highness? Let me take a wild guess…Faust told you some wild tales of how strong I am, didn't he? Spirits really like to brag when a mortal manages to accomplish feats even they deem as impossible, no idea why though. Perhaps it knocks them down a peg to know that a 'mere' mortal can accomplish what any spiritual being would deem as impossible." Naruto chuckled in an honest tone, earning the raised eyebrows of Ty Lee and Mai. Rubbing her temple softly, Azula narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at the cryptic youth.

"Wild tales huh? With words like those you cast doubt upon me whether or not the Spirit was telling the truth…and then you make the comment that you've done things Spirits find impossible for mortals to accomplish. Which is it then? Are you as powerful as or even stronger than the Avatar himself, or are you simply a foolish prisoner a Spirit guarded on a whim?" Azula quipped, her patience beginning to reach its peak at so many cryptic statements that had been used against her today.

Cracking his neck slightly, a devilish smirk seemed to crawl across Naruto's face. "I don't mean to brag, but I do happen to consider myself one of the strongest people I know; and that was before my world fell into darkness...which in turn, probably hosted a majority of people that would probably seem 'Avatar'-like to your world today. Plainly speaking, I'm guessing the people of my world are, or were, a whole lot stronger than anyone from the world that currently exists, that world being the one I'm in now. And pardon my curiosity, but what exactly is an 'Avatar'? I've never heard of such a person or persons if that is the case." Naruto asked curiously, gaining a small smile from Azula in the process; which made the blonde arch an eyebrow in confusion.

"An Avatar is a being, either male or female; that has appeared many times throughout the history of this world. For centuries they were looked at as living Messiah's by the common people, to a degree, some have even seen them as living Gods. The Avatars of the past, and apparently the present, all have had the recurring trait of being a self-entitled altruistic savior who constantly help people too weak or slow-minded to save themselves." Azula spitefully added, earning a raised eyebrow from Naruto in the process; who was obviously reminded of past events from his own life.

"Avatars would only rise up when the world as we know it was in supposed peril, and then they would 'save' it as they were 'destined' to; usually with an incredible amount of finesse due to the fact that an Avatar is able to bend all four elements of Fire, Water, Earth and Air without the least bit of trouble. However, more than a hundred years ago when my people were finally beginning to seize power the Avatar of that time vanished when he was needed most, and the Fire Nation conquered the world without his interference as a result. " Azula smirked proudly, having reminded herself about the cowardice of the supposed almighty being she was being sent to chase down. If her failure of a brother couldn't do it, than she would succeed where he and Zhao had failed.

"Due to the sudden disappearance of the last Avatar, the tales of these legendary monks have fallen into depravity and doubt has been instilled within the eyes of the people everywhere; hardly anyone sees the Avatar as a savior anymore, since he ran like a coward when he was needed most. Some people still hold faith in the legend, but those people are rare and are more than often self-entitled fools themselves. I even have it on good authority that the Avatar I'm chasing is the same one that fled from his responsibility so long ago; now wouldn't that be the most delicious irony? The cowardly Messiah trying to have a second go at his so-called 'destiny'?" Azula practically chuckled, reveling in the feeling that such a coward would even dare show his face to a world he abandoned out of fear.

Much to her companions surprise and to Azula herself, the mysterious elder youth did not seem impressed with the news that had been delivered to him. If anything, one would dare say he looked to be disappointed of all things.

Tilting his head while heavily sighing, Naruto could only feel the true loss of inheritance of what the present world offered him. "Really? Only four elements? Heh, back in my day while being able to perfectly control four elements would no doubt be impressive, but I'm pretty sure that didn't exactly make a person Messiah worthy of all things." Naruto practically chuckled, earning raised eyebrows from Mai and Ty Lee and a confused look from Azula.

"If you mean to infer there are more elements than the ones I've named I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken. The Sacred Four have always existed, no more, and no less. That is what is taught to all of a common mind…but if you mean to imply that there were indeed elements from your time that no longer exist today, for some reason I'm inclined to believe you." Azula stated somewhat haughtily, earning a bit of a challenged look from Naruto. He could only stifle his laughter on what he was about to tell and show to the Fire Princess.

"Heh heh…indeed your 'Sacred Four' have always existed, but in truth, anyone from my time would hardly call them 'sacred'; but perhaps that title has only been granted from the loss of knowledge the people of this world have about the elements as a whole. I suspect that an advanced Fire Bender is capable of creating lightning; since lightning within itself is a Sub-Element of fire and cause it…am I correct?" The youthful sage quipped, earning a raised eyebrow from Azula in the process.

"Lightning can only be mastered by the most advanced of Fire Benders yes, I've come close to perfecting my stance on it as well; but what did you mean that lightning is a 'Sub-Element'?" Azula said calmly, wanting to know more of the knowledge this mysterious blonde was keeping from her.

Naruto smirked, barely silencing an audible chuckle. "If only the most powerful of Fire Benders can even begin to harness the Element of Lightning, than this world has indeed fallen from grace considerably. In my time Lighting was considered an Element of its own, while possessing the qualities to be deemed a 'Sub-Element as well."

"And to answer your incoming question, a Sub-Element is an Element that can be linked to a 'true' Element by sharing its likeness; in my time people had mastered Lightning to such a degree that your people would consider truly godlike…or, 'Avatar'-like, if I may humor you, Hime." Naruto laughed casually, still consistently amused that the Messiah of the common world seemed to be little more than a particularly experienced Jonin; nothing to shake a stick at, but hardly worth the title of being crowned a God of all things.

"After all, besides your Sacred Four, with Lightning I've already mentioned being a completely separate Element of its own; there are the Elements of Sky, Darkness and Light. And yes, Sky does count as a completely separate element from Air; though they are similar, Sky is specifically harder to master, but much more powerful."

"Not to mention all the other Sub-Elements that can be created by combining the 'true' Elements themselves; there's Boil, Lava, Magma, Scorching Heat, Inferno, Explosion, Sand, Dust, Metal, Ice, Wood, Crystal, Hurricane, Storm, Gravity, Anti-Gravity, Chaos, Order, Purity and Corruption…"

"Just thinking about all the endless knowledge that this world has lost of its past is making my head hurt; that, and it's even more troubling to know that a person who can only master four out of the eight Elements is to be held in regard as a Messiah is just plain depressing."

"If your world is the future of my world, than I shall do my best to educate it and reform it the way it should've been after the Fourth Shinobi World War; something I wish I'd have been able to do originally." Naruto determinedly stated a flare of pride evident within his eyes. Mai, who had been silent along with Ty Lee as Azula questioned the boy, decided to finally question the boy herself.

"The world isn't something a person can 'correct', even if you have the power of ten Avatars or more. From the way you put it, it sounds like you'd want to remake the world in your image; which in itself seems rather haughty if you ask me. Since when does a person, no matter how strong, get to shape the world as he or she sees fit?" Mai commented in a monotone manner, earning a raised eyebrow and smirk from the golden haired mystery youth.

"Ah, so my Hime's followers do have tongues of their own after all; I was beginning to wonder if you were both mute since you haven't spoken to me at all so far. And, before I respectfully rebuttal to your frequently asked question; may I at least know your names first?" The Sage grinningly questioned, earning a somewhat annoyed glance from Mai in the process. She wasn't use to such witty yet powerful behavior; this boy was clearly nothing like the boring politicians and petty royals she was to used to being around at her estate.

"If you must know, my name is Mai, and this is-"

"Hi there! My name's Ty Lee! I've got to say so far you're a really interesting person! You know so much that none of the people of my time do, and you know some combat styles that are practically extinct since I've never heard of them before, and neither has Azula of all people! The only thing that has disturbed me so far is when these red glowing tendrils came out from that tattoo on your stomach, and it's like they twisted and absorbed Azula's men until they were nothing but dust." Ty Lee energetically intervened, only to end her long winded introduction on a much darker, somber note onto what had happened before Naruto's awakening. The circus girl's comment did seem to affect the blonde though; he looked visually troubled from what he had just heard.

Sighing loudly in disappointment, Naruto could only shake his head in frustration. "So, Kurama needed to literally drain the rest of your men of their life essence in order to revitalize me fully? I thought the constant rejuvenation from a holy Spirit like Faust would've been enough to keep my body at its prime condition for however long I've been asleep; but it seems that Kyuubi still needed step in regardless of Faust's actions …odd though, that he spared anyone in the room to begin with."

"Maybe he likes you three…but depending on the situation, that could be good or bad; regardless, you should be lucky to not count yourselves amongst the dead." The radiant teen shrugged in a frustrated manner, recalling all the times his personal demon had commonly fucked him over on both simple and already complicated situations just for the fun of it.

**"So glad to see you remembered that we still share the same body gaki, when were you planning to bring me up in this conversation any way? I've been sitting here idly waiting for you to remember I exist, it isn't exactly easy to get a foothold in this wretched form unless the Jinchuriki actually remembers that the Demon exists to begin with. How dare you mention my bloodname to a flock of primitive mortals, they're even less capable than the ones from your time; I bet they don't even know the legacy of the Biju… "** The fox Demon finally growled, making its presence well known in Naruto's mind. The blonde only snorted in discomfort, physically unhappy that the monster within him had awakened so soon. It had been less than fifteen minutes since his release from his catatonic state, and already what had been a thorn in his side for the majority of his past life had come to haunt his present.

"You again? I guess it was too much to wish for that when Faust constantly rejuvenated my body over all these years, that you wouldn't reap the same benefits as I; couldn't you just die already? Or would that have been making things easy for me?" Naruto practically spat, earning a confused look from the three girls in front of him; and a resounding chuckle from a certain fox in the process.

**"As much as I'd love to banter with you once more for the eight-thousandth time, we have matters to attend to. We've finally awoken after Kami knows how long, and the first thing you see when you wake up is three human wenches asking who you are…and you're complaining about a matter as trivial as our bond still remaining? They are nothing but feeble meatbags to me, but I know how strongly you mortals crave to taste the flesh of your counterparts…I swear, you humans can be just as bad as Shukaku was in his youth, and that's saying a lot considering how many little demonic Tanuki children roamed around during that time."**

The Kyuubi boomed within Naruto's mind, causing the blonde to shake his head in disbelief and frustration until Azula stepped forward to address the situation. "Excuse me, but whom in the name of the Spirits are you talking to? Is it this Kyuubi being you mentioned just a few moments ago? If so, where is he? I certainly don't see him like I did the other Spirit." Azula stated patiently, looking around the giant room in a three sixty to see if the Spirit was hidden from her vision of range. Naruto sighed heavily, shaking his head at how many times had to explain to people what the Kyuubi was and what the bound between him and the demon exactly was; well, time to add explanation nine thousand and one to the board.

"The Kyuubi no Kitsune, or Kurama, which is his true name that he doesn't appreciate being given away to humans, is one of the nine Biju, a Tailed Beast in your terms. The Tailed Beasts have no place in the Spirit World, because they're not Spirits, they're all Demons, as you would call them." Naruto commented casually like he was talking about any other subject, while the eyes of the trio of women in front of him considerably widened. Rolling his eyes from this expected reaction; Naruto sighed once more and held up his arms as a gesture to stay calm.

"And before all of you freak out, no, not all Demons are evil Spirits like you've been brought up to believe; but I will admit, there indeed have been Demons who have been malicious in nature and have sought to do nothing but try to destroy humans. Though not all Demons are like that, some of them just want to be left alone, some want nothing to do with humans do to our violent nature, and others could care less about humans to begin with."

Azula shook her in disbelief and looked at the boy questioningly for a moment, with Naruto in response lifting an eyebrow himself. "Are you sure you're of sound mind Naruto? Any normal person usually doesn't consort with demons; speaking of which, where is the Kyuubi now? As I stated earlier, none of us can see him." Azula stated once more, still wanting to know where the Demon exactly was. Shrugging once more, Naruto calmly placed a hand over the tattoo on his stomach. Azula's eyes widened once more, and before she could mutter a word, Naruto nodded once in confirmation.

To say that Azula's group was flabbergasted was an understatement. Azula herself had never been put in a place of shock before, but there was a first time for everything. Ty Lee was slack jawed and Mai's eyes were widened as far as they could go. "You…you and a Demon share the same body! How is that even possible!" Azula practically yelled, wanting to know how a mortal and an otherworldly being could possibly inhabit the same personal space.

Naruto practically chuckled at her reaction, he knew that when a person heard about a Jinchuriki in the area back in his day there would certainly be an upstart, and to say Azula's reaction wasn't normal to what he was used to was an understatement.

"For starters, we share the same body through the use of a Sealing Ritual conducted on me by my father when I was an infant; while I have often wondered what would've occurred had he performed the ritual on another child, it is pointless to wish things to be different now. Considering the events I went through in my past life, without the Kyuubi around I would've most likely died much sooner than I would've without him." Naruto calmly spoke, having fully come to terms with being the Kyuubi's vessel more than a millennia ago.

"I am what my people called a Jinchuriki; a container of one of the nine Biju. The Biju were, or are, Demons whose power far surpasses that of their lesser Oni brethren. My Biju, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, is the strongest amongst all the Tailed Demons. Before my time however, the Biju were originally all one primordial being called the Jubi, the Ten-Tailed Demon. That monster destroyed nearly the entire world at one point, it was only stopped by the original Rikudo Sennin; the Sage of the Six Paths. He even created a massive stone prison that held the physical remains of the Jubi in place, and he threw it into the Heavens themselves; that stone is now what we call the Moon." Naruto finished explaining; calmly stating what was more than a massive revelation to Azula and her friends.

Azula could hardly believe what she was hearing, this boy, this thousands of years old teenager, was single-handedly redefining for her and her friends every common perspective of the modern world to date. If such a claim was indeed true, which Azula was starting to slowly believe due to the fact that not even the most inane madman could come up with such tales, did this mean that by default what gave the Water Benders their strength were the ancient remains of a once godlike Demon?

Oh the heresy and out roar there would be if such a claim were made, she could almost physically see the reactions of the common world. The Water Benders might violently react to such a claim, others might believe it, and others would condemn such knowledge. The ones who believed the tale might cast the Water Benders as children and servants of a Demon, and publically ostracize from society itself. Of course there would need to be proof of such an accusation, but Azula was getting a sinking feeling that this youth could indeed prove his story was indeed true.

"Don't you hate your father for sealing such a monstrosity into you? You weren't even given a choice in the matter; not only that, but I can only guess that you faced prejudice for carrying this Kyuubi inside of you. Not many people I know would willingly want to be around a man who literally harbors a Demon inside him." Azula stated in a matter of fact tone, earning a shared stare from both her companions as well as Naruto. The blond youth sighed heavily, and shook his head in a solitary moment of despair, and then gazed at the Fire Nation Princess with a determined look; slightly off putting Azula's mood.

"In truth, I originally hated whoever was responsible for sealing Kurama, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, inside my very being. Many if not all of us Jinchuriki suffered prejudice, isolation and even exile in the world that used to exist…the people of my time were not hospitable to us; they did not care about the burdens we suffered, they only saw as the Demons we carried. In truth, even thousands of years later I didn't expect the world to ever come to terms with who and what we are; humans will always find a way to hate and discriminate with that they fear and do not understand, or perhaps they merely wish to not understand it at all."

"Such ignorance I tried to change at an earlier time in my life, I tried to change the world as a whole; to get everyone to see that we are as truly as human as they were. I learned the hard way that such things in the end are truly not possible; you can only change the minds of a few people within the world, no one can change the world as a whole and no one can or should be allowed to shape it his or her will. Depicting such actions, it is Godlike, and it is not within the realms of us mortals to decide."

"And before you ask, there is a reason why I am so comfortable sharing my secret with you three; simply because I am not afraid of it anymore. I will not hate you if you despise me for what I hold inside me, but I won't try to change your minds about it if you do indeed hate me. I have seen enough bigotry and malice to know that human beings can't entirely change; only some of us can push past the barriers that bind are understandings of reality and what we perceive as acceptable." There was a large momentary silence after Naruto's speech; the eyes of the three women seemed to be directly focused on the blond youth. They seemed to be studying him, reading him, each of them equally intrigued by his words. Such boldness and honesty was little seen in the world they knew of and existed in presently; Naruto's words seemed to radiate determination and respect to a past they unfamiliar of.

It was quite clear that the person had awakened was clearly no ordinary person after all; his words alone had made that much perfectly clear. Mai was the first to banish the silence from his speech, clearing her voice adamantly and taking a deep breath afterwards. Naruto's eyes as such concentrated on her, intent to know the first of the three opinions of the new world.

"Perhaps I've judged you too early, your confidence seems to have more respect in it than the desire to change everyone as you see fit it would seem. I apologize that I labeled you as such so early on when we've barely even known each other; I have gotten used to labeling people at my old residence due to their predictability and idiocy, you clearly have more intelligence embedded within you than I let myself believe. And as for your Demon and the Demons you have spoken of, quite frankly I couldn't care less." Mai calmly explained, earning questioning looks from Azula, Ty Lee and Naruto respectively in the process. Before Naruto went to open his mouth, Mai held out one hand to let him know she wasn't done explaining.

"You're already at peace with the Demon inside you, so by that logic, who am I to judge you any further? From the way you've made it sound you've already been through hell due to people's judgment from your past life; I won't make things any harder for you than they have been already." The dark haired girl calmly quipped, earning a smile Naruto and a full on glomp from Ty Lee for a such a sweet statement coming from Mai; to which Mai responded by nonchalantly dropping the jubilant acrobat into the rough soil, earning a small chuckle from Azula.

Calmly brushing off dust and grime that had tarnished his skin for so long, Naruto took a heavy sigh and looked amongst the group before him. Perhaps this World wouldn't be so bad after all, a little rough around the edges sure and certainly a quite a bit of effort to return it to its former glory; but it didn't seem nearly as troublesome as the events he had faced in a prior life.

**"If my memory serves me correctly, I'm assuming you'll want to help 'rebuild' this world to its former 'glory'? Kind of pointless if you ask me Kit, you already fucked up once with already with teme son of a whore, Madara; though in retrospect you were kind of screwed from certain events set in motion that weren't exactly predictable, but still."**

**"Is it really worth it to live up to that damn Child of Prophecy nonsense that the Rikudo Sennin set forth so long ago? I mean the man wasn't even that smart figuratively speaking, by separating the Jubi into nine pieces he created the Jubi, and half us either hated humanity or wanted nothing more to do with it; look at me, prime example; I hated humans even before I became who I was through the Jubi being sliced apart, I think it's safe to say my mind was, and is, still quite the prime piece of memory from our former life."**

_You won't be able to dissuade me Kurama, I failed this world once, and I won't fail again. Besides, even I lose a thousand times I haven't really failed; I just found a thousand ways that don't work, that's all._

**"Anata ga zestubo-tekina, shonen yo." (You're hopeless, boy.)**

_Osoroku, watashitachi ga okonau koto ga deki, sukunakutomo, migi mite wa? (Perhaps, but the least we can do is try, right?)_

_Besides, weren't you the one who sided with me against Madara at the end, Fox? Which you yourself said was a hopeless effort at the time, yet you tried anyway?_

**"You got me there Kit."**

**"So…we gonna revive your Clan the old fashioned way, Kit? Hur hur hur."**

_Why in the name of the Spirits did I know whatever our conversation was about, it would somehow lead to this? You're the one who was complaining about human 'urges' before._

**"Hey, our bodies are connected, you get laid, I get laid. I'd literally be able to FEEL it. Besides, the last time I got some action was with Matatabi, the Nibi, and that was thousands of years ago."**

_Great, so my first, and for that matter, every intimate experience is going to be connected to you? That's just frigging perfect; can't I do anything without it having to be linked to you? And did you ever have any kids after that incident with the Matatabi?_

**"No, I'm sterile."**

_Wait what? You're sterile? Really?_

**"Yeah, since I hold the greatest amount of Chakra out all of the Jubi it cancels my body's ability to procreate."**

_Does that mean I'm sterile!_

**"No, our bodies aren't connected in that way Kit. Though you have near unlimited access to my Chakra, we aren't the same being though we're so closely connected; your body is still your body. Besides, Kushina had me within her and she still gave birth to you; fusing with a Biju doesn't make the Jinchuriki sterile, no matter whether it's male or female."**

_Well that makes for any interesting Deus Ex Machina; it woulda sucked if I couldn't have kids…_

**"So you DO wanna procreate! I'm so proud!"**

_ I didn't' say now, dumbass! And besides, I don't exactly wanna flood the Earth with little Naruto's…_

**"You might have to if you want to restore the Namikaze-Uzumaki Clan, Kit."**

_I don't even know if the Clan Restoration Act is still in affect anymore, we don't how much this world has changed; polygamy on that level might be taboo in this world._

**"I'm sure a few strings can be pulled here and there, considering what resources we left behind and everything we did to prepare for an incidental future like this if our current situation ever occurred, remember Kit?"**

_How could I not remember all of our misadventures I had to undertake to prepare for a dystopian future under your advisement? The shit you made me do nearly got me killed!_

**"Oh you know it was worth it, like when you and the Mizukage nearly-"**

_La la la la la la la! Not listening! La la la la la la! That never happened!_

**"Oh you know it almost totally did, you were so close to! If only her guards didn't hear you two everything would've went on so much…smoother."**

_That's enough innuendo for one day okay? My brain can't take so much imagery!_

"-Aruto, Naruto! Are you there?" Azula practically yelled, making the golden haired teen jump out his thoughts and nearly trip over his own two feet. Rubbing the back of his head nervously in front of the three girls, the Fire Princess could only shake her head in irritation. "You drifted off for like three minutes, you really just staring off into space." Mai matter-a-factly stated, earning an embarrassed, flustered look from Naruto in the process, who shrugged at having daydreamed away from his present company.

"Sorry about that ladies, I was talking with Kurama, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. We were just…catching up, I guess." Naruto blushed significantly, remembering a near euphoric instant with the beautiful Mizukage, Terumi Mei. Azula arched and eyebrow at this, while Mai and Ty Lee's eyes widened.

Sighing briefly, Azula placed her hands on her hips and accessed what had just happened before her. "Wait, you can talk to your Demon? And it's not even that big of a deal to you? That all this happens in your head and only you can hear it?" The passionate princess quipped, earning a nod from Naruto to affirm her suspicions. Azula just shook her head in disbelief, still not being exactly used to the concept of Demons existing within a person's body.

Naruto cracked his knuckles in anticipation, wanting to get out of the cave that imprisoned him for so long. "So, Azula-hime, would you and your friends like to get out of this hole? We can either walk back the way you came, or we can just instantly get out of here via one of my many talents." Naruto chirped enthusiastically, wanting to test out his abilities and see if he was just as powerful as he was so long ago.

"I'd prefer the quickest way out of this cave if you please, it was quite a trek down here and I don't exactly want to go through that Genjutsu again." Azula said somewhat annoyed, remembering how much time she had used freeing Naruto from his prison instead of looking for the Avatar; not that "her" discovery was any less phenomenal, but it certainly used quite a bit of time in the process. Naruto chuckled in response, not at her, but the fact that he was about to show the first people from the new world he had yet to enter things they had never seen before.

Stroking a few of the crimson streaks of hair out of his vision, Naruto offered his hand out to Azula as a proposition, earning the eye of the princess as a result. "Alright Azula-hime, take my hand. As for Ty-chan, take Azula's free hand, and Mai-chan, do the same for Ty-chan." Naruto instructed casually, earning a look of curiosity from the three lovely ladies. "Just what exactly are you planning to get us out here so fast?" Ty Lee asked gingerly, earning a small smirk from Naruto that unknowingly made the acrobat blush.

"That's easy Ty-chan, with the Jikukan Ido Art, the Space-Time Migration Technique. This technique was developed by that Madara guy I mentioned, who by now is nothing more than a distant fragment of a past no one remembers. Normally I would use the Hiraishin no Jutsu, the Flying Thunder God Technique, which was invented by my father for immediate transportation, but that move is more suited to transporting just one person, and the Jikukan Ido is more suitable for a large number transfer." Naruto explained, with Mai and Azula grasping some of the concepts of what Naruto was saying, with Ty Lee just having a very confused look upon her face.

"Before we take off, I just want to say that due to the fact that literally none of the people of this time are familiar with these kinds of powers, this may feel a tad strange to all of you. Given that no one has traveled this way in literally thousands of years, you'll probably all feel a bit queasy after this." Naruto warned casually with a smirk evident across his fox-like face. Ty Lee gulped in nervousness, while Mai and Azula just braced themselves for whatever was about to happen.

Contemplating in fear for a slight moment, Ty Lee opened her mouth to speak her mind; but it was already too late as Naruto extended one of his hands forward and muttered a single phrase.

"Jikukan Ido."

A sudden visage of the distortion of space had appeared, momentarily shocking the three girls who were joined hand in hand connected to the blond Sage. They didn't have time to be truly surprised, it only lasted a mere second before the transportation occurred. After a total of three seconds, the group of four was back to the royal carriage, shocking all guards present and causing a few to fall over in surprise and fear.

The affects of the technique were as Naruto described much to his enjoyment the three girls were indeed truly bewildered by what happened. Mai was on her knees with her palms against the ground, Ty Lee was struggling to maintain despite her acrobatic training, and Azula hung against the carriage in an attempt to regain her stature.

Within moments of when they had arrived, several armed guards surrounded Naruto with spears and swords, much to irritation of Azula and the dismay of her friends.

"Enough! Do not harm him; he is our reward for risking our lives in that ruin. The others are dead, don't ask how, just follow my orders and treat him as our special guest. If any of you attempt to injure I will personally promise the one who does a lifetime of pain." Azula practically snarled, earning shivers of fear down the spines of the guards and that of her friends, especially Ty Lee.

As the guards backed away from Naruto and lowered their weapons, the Shinobi couldn't help but smirk in Azula's general direction, earning a cemented glance from the Fire Princess. "Your reward, eh? I don't recall myself ever being up for grabs as a prize, nor do I ever remember asking to follow you." Naruto casually commented, earning an increased stare from Azula as Ty Lee and Mai regained their balance. "It doesn't matter what you feel about your stature, you were an ally to the Fire Nation in ancient times, you will do so again, your servitude to your homeland demands it when it is threatened by war. And I just freed you from a cycle of being bound and chained for at least two thousand years, you owe me a favor for a favor." Azula commented in a somewhat confrontational tone, having Naruto's smirk disappear and for a look of respect to wash over it.

"I indeed must protect my country from any threats that seek to harm it, I will not fail my homeland a second time. And I will admit, I am grateful to you and your friends for freeing me; I knew upon my imprisonment it would be some time before I was discovered and it would take a special person to even reach me to free me; but I didn't expect thousands of years to pass in waiting." Naruto said calmly, taking a deep breath to absorb all that he had to be faced with.

"You freed me from my prison, so I will repay a favor for a favor, but I will accomplish in this life what I failed to do in the last as a result. I will restore my Clan, I shall bring knowledge to this world of a past they don't remember, and I shall not fail in my duty to protect this land like I did before. However, after this favor has been repaid, what is to stop me from setting off on my own to accomplish my ambitions?" Naruto adamantly stated, earning a smile from Azula while Mai and Ty Lee talked to each other through their eyes.

"Nothing, that's what. If you wished to leave after your debt has been repaid, I won't force you to stay within my company. However, consider the benefits of what could happen if you could; given your stature and your unusual powers, I would assume you were royalty in your past life, with my connections in the Fire Nation I could help you accomplish some of your ambitions. The Fire Nation is still your home, and since you helped defend it so long ago, you're practically a walking monument to ancient heroism."

"The nation could provide with you financial banking to help build a new Province for you, we could try to locate the deeds to what land your families owned; we could even attempt to pull a few string within my government to allow you to have a seat of power in my government; perhaps even amongst current royalty. I'm sure my father would love to meet someone with your kind of power upon our return to the Capital if you would continue to accompany us; perhaps he would recognize your royal blood and grant you back your titles, maybe he'd even want you to have some seat of power within our family if you're lucky." Azula finished exclaiming, earning a concentrated stare from Naruto and peculiar looks from her two best friends.

_I've never seen Azula be this nice before, maybe she just really wants this guy to follow us? I mean he does seem a bit weird, but weird is good in its own way. Though whatever he did to get us back here made my stomach feel woozy, it sure was a lot faster than trekking through that cave again. And besides, if he's as strong as he says he is then he'll probably be a great guy to have on our side. _Ty Lee casually thought, not really thinking any ill will of either Naruto or Azula.

_Never seen Azula be kind to anyone other than Ty Lee and I, and her 'kindness' can only stretch so far. She's being a little too nice to this guy, sure, he seems alright and that one thing he did a moment ago was a bit strange; but she's practically rolling out the red carpet for him. Given how strong he says he is, which I wouldn't be surprised at this point is that's the truth considering all that's been said and done; Azula probably just wants to cover her bases and make sure this guy isn't an enemy in the future, I don't imagine wanting to fight him as an enemy. _Mai smirked on the inside, knowing how degrading it must've been for the Fire Princess to be so kind to someone who was still an absolute stranger.

_I can't lose this chance, the Fire Nation can't afford a threat like this in such a pivotal revolution with the Avatar's uprising. His powers are apparently phenomenal, and from what we just witnessed; that instant transportation, was just one of his abilities amongst a possible thousand others. We can't afford to have such an enemy filled with secrets and unknown knowledge as the enemy to our Nation; it would be a great loss and an even greater failure to have someone who's possibly stronger than the Avatar siding against us. Even if I have to act…"nicer", in order to get him on our side then so be it; it's a petty sacrifice when it comes to the long run; such a turn of strength on our side could be invaluable with Zhao's recent surge of failures trying to catch him, the same can be said for Zuzu and that bumbling stooge Iroh. _Azula thought to herself, hating to treat anyone with so much respect other than her friends, her father and the custom royalty.

Scratching his chin for a long moment, Naruto closed his eyes and casually shrugged at the situation he was presented with. "I would greatly appreciate your help as with our homeland in helping me achieve my goals, but that is not why I shall help you, nor is my freedom the reason. I'm going to help you for the reason that if the Avatar truly is like you describe, a self-proclaimed Messiah coming to rid the world of all 'evil', I'm going to prove him that he's wrong."

"No one person can change the world, and no one can person can unite every person across it as each as a separate mindset. Peace can't come with people sitting on their asses while someone else does all the fighting for them, such sloth and uselessness could eventually once more lead to the downfall of society. The world needs to be shown that it can and must fend for itself; and that they can't place all the fate of everyone alive on one person, no matter how powerful he or she is."

"I'm one of the strongest people I know, and even I can't do everything alone; I've accepted that. I know that some people can't be changed and sometimes you're forced to do things that seem wrong, but it's doing these things that will guarantee the safety of the future. It's these sacrifices that determine who a person is and that what they're fighting for is worth such a struggle. If I had to sacrifice a hundred people to save a thousand I would; and if the Avatar is sorely concentrated on human life and how to preserve it at all costs he leaves the world open to danger as a result."

"He actually acts a lot like I did in my past life; I used to think I could save everyone, that everything rested itself on my shoulders and that I could change everyone's minds…but I was wrong. No one can change the world by themselves, change comes through unity and alliance; not through sheer power of individuality. It's kind of ironic for me now, that it took an entire lifetime for me to learn these lessons; and now some fool is following the same pattern and making the same mistakes, and that an entire order dedicated to that endless cycle has existed for the past thousand years."

"I fight not to return a favor, not to prove myself worthy, not to restore my Clan, not even to prove myself worthy in my owns to redeem myself for my failure; I fight for the future and all those who inhabit it, and I shall show them the meaning of power through sacrifice and wisdon. And perhaps someday, the world will be allied in unity and no one will have to place all their hopes and dreams on one person…they'll be able to accomplish their ambitions through their own strength, not through another's." Naruto finished his speech adamantly, earning respectful glances from Mai and Ty Lee, with a look of victory from Azula that this boy would fight by his Nation once more.

Azula walked towards Naruto calmly and stuck out her hand, earning a perplexed look from her friends; and a smile from Naruto. The two members of royal blood shook each other's hands as a new alliance was cemented in stone, a victory for the Fire Nation. "Let us not fail our Nation, and let us show the world that it doesn't need to put all of its hopes on one person." Naruto calmly stated, earning an agreeing nod from Azula in the process.

As the four teens climbed into the carriage to resume a journey three hours delayed, each sat comfortably within her, or in Naruto's case his, corner of the carriage and settled in nicely. The motion of the vehicle resumed again, being led by the remaining guardsman.

All four shared smiles at one another as the resumption of the trip continued, with each member concentrating on their separate task. Ty Lee meditated in one of her acrobat poses, Mai sat calmly once more as boredom overtook her, and Azula seemed to concentrate on Naruto for the past five minutes until she closed her eyes and waited for the arrival that would lead them to the fleet.

Naruto calmly closed his eyes and drifted off into meditation, contemplating his inner thoughts to himself.

_Well this certainly has been an interesting day within the past few thousand years; I honestly didn't think my 'rescuers' would take to me in such a friendly manner. _

_I still gotta wonder if all of my 'relations' in all those villages are still in affect; I mean I know I did everything the Kyuubi said, and prepared for a future like this and all that; but I wonder how much of it really mattered?__I mean I know I agreed to have enact the CRA and Kami knows how many people lined up at my door when they find out that I'm the last remaining member of the Namikaze and Uzumaki Clans, but man that was nuts!_

_Having all those royal clans trying to set me up with their daughter's and such, wanting me to get on an early road making heirs; I guess Sasuke really didn't have it easy after all, might've been why he went nuts, heh ha.__But seriously, I can't believe I went through all that political bullshit just because Kurama said it would prove "useful in a future where everyone we know might be dead."__How exactly does it prove useful? How many girls did I have to get with in order to "secure seats of power in the future"? _

_And what does it even matter now? All of them are dead, sure, but I can bring them back with the Gedo: Rinne Tensei technique; though that itself would be a massive pain considering such a use of Chakra bringing back so many people I care for and love would drain an immense supply of chakra from my body.__I mean Nagato-san died from using that technique to bring back everyone who died during Akatsuki's assault on Konoha, and that alone ended up killing him due to how much chakra he had to exert; even with all my Chakra I have now as well as Kurama's performing such a grand scale technique would probably knock me out cold for at least a day or so, which may or not be a bit of a setback at the specific time when I perform it. _

_I'm not even sure if the current Hi no Kuni would even recognize the lands I was supposed to jointly rule over anymore; given the fact that none of them probably even exist anymore, and then there's also the facts of getting them to recognize my own royal bloodline, seeing if they recognize the Clan Restoration Act, and getting them all to recognize each royal bloodline of each individual 'partner' of mine.__I knew Kurama said this was going to be difficult and I agreed to it, but damn does it look impossible now, especially when I'm face to face with a situation I honestly thought I'd never see; especially when all of the ladies are brought back and getting them to all agree with one another again, recognize the situation we're in and having them all manage to coexist with one another and the Nations of today.__I mean goddamn, how many wives did I get before I died anyway? _

_Not like I was able to enjoy much time with them individually or at all considering that the entire world got destroyed and everyone I knew died, in which in the end I was ultimately powerless to do anything; not like I am now. Which is strange, despite how many of them there were, I got to know them all in such a short amount of time; and honestly, I think I still love them all too._

_Hinata was the first of them all, and of course, was the first one to confess her love to me. She put herself in between the Deva Path of Pain for me; she risked it all to save me and nearly got killed as a result. All that time she had been watching me, admiring me, and just waiting for me to notice her; and I was too stupid and dense to see it. After everything she's gone through, with having to put up with Neji and Hanabi's abuse in the early years as well as Hiashi being a complete prick before I managed to make him see the light; she's gone through a lot._

_As for Temari, she didn't just volunteer herself to be at my side, it was also encouraged by my local friend, the Godaime Kazekage and fellow Jinchuriki, Sabaku no Gaara. Ever since when Gaara and I fought during Orochimaru's invasion of Konohagakure, a bond was formed in the process and the next time we met, it would be as friends and equals. Gaara, like me, had a pretty terrible life growing up. Everyone hated him and called him a monster, and from what I understand his version of Iruka-sensei, a man named Yashamaru, ended up trying to kill him because he blamed him for the death of sister who was incidentally Gaara's mother, Karura. __After his uncle and only 'true' friend tried to kill him, Gaara lost it for quite awhile and became obsessed with killing people through his powers in joint combination with the Biju Shukaku, he devoted his life to destroying them all and living only for himself._

_ He was a reflection of what I could've been if I had been consumed by hatred, incidentally, he was also similar to how Sasuke went down a path of betrayal as well; but Gaara saw the light when I tried to convince him how things weren't all bad, Sasuke refused to see that side of things.__Even when he had won over the affection of Sunagakure, he still wanted someone he truly trusted to be Temari's husband; I mean, she was his only sister, it would make sense he wanted someone he thought as a brother to take care of her. Temari actually put her name forward on a list of candidates to be another wife of mine; I guess it was because of how she felt that I changed Gaara's perspective on life, and I saved her brother from becoming another Sasuke early on. _

_That, and after so many years passed after the incident at the Valley of the End, I had changed drastically in character and in figure; so I guess that helped push her in my direction as well. __When Temari requested permission to marry me from her brother, I heard Gaara was only too happy to oblige. I was someone he trusted to be Temari's husband, I think the other one might've been Shikamaru; but that guy wasn't really the type to be married to a Hokage's sister and to have so many responsibilities to be tied to royalty and having to go through the political system of two separate countries. _

_That also would've given me quite a seat of power in Suna as well, if everything hadn't gone to shit shortly after.__Two women, one nearly twice my age and the other still significantly older, approached me at the same time to discuss marriage plans with me…Terumi Mei the Godaime Mizukage and Baa-chan Tsunade herself, the Godaime Hokage of my own Village.__At that point I only had one thought in my mind…WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK! __According to Tsunade-chan, as I started to know her by shortly afterwards, a decision she had come to when deciding who I would marry when it came to royal Clans eventually narrowed down to the Senju Clan and the Terumi Clan. Adding such strong blood to my own blood would create children who'd be capable of near miracles, and help revive the Namikaze-Uzumaki Clans that much faster._

_Tsunade said the reason she wanted to marry me was that I was the one who showed her the light that she had only previously seen in her old partner Dan; and that I rescued her from drowning in a pit of darkness that could've led to the restoration of the Hebi-teme's arms, the same arms responsible for killing Oji-san. According to her, I was the person who taught her what it meant to be a Hokage; what it meant to believe in a cause that could protect people precious to her. Apparently, she also owed a favor to Kaa-san; they were good friends once apparently, and she promised that if anything happened to her (Kaa-san), that she would take care of her son when he was born…she lost sight after that promise after Dan's death, and apparently, was one of the many regrets she carried on her back._

_Tsunade-chan apparently felt awful that she wasn't there to be my foster mom throughout my life, so she decided to be the next best thing in her own thoughts, my wife, or in this case, one of my many wives. She told me that she'd help me bring back the Uzumaki-Namikaze bloodlines, and that her Senju blood would run deep within the veins of the future I'd be providing the world.__Mei-chan was interested in the Namikaze-Uzumaki Restoration Program for a number of…reasons, to put it lightly. I remember that she briefly knew tou-san, and considered him quite attractive; and that she was actually going to make a move on him before he and Kaa-san got together. She already considered me…extraordinarily handsome in her own terms, telling me I was definitely my father's son and that definitely received all of the 'beneficial' genes of the Namikaze bloodline. _

_And since I had already defeated Pain, who was supposed to be invincible, months prior, she was also adamantly attracted to me because of my strength. And upon hearing the CRA imposed on me, she didn't quite leap at me like others did, but she was greatly interested in the prospect of it; as she had been looking for a husband for quite some time, I'm actually surprised she didn't have one sooner. _

_And according to some rumors I heard shortly after Mei got involved with my CRA, I may have broken the heart of one of her bodyguards, Chojuro, one of the current members of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shu; which actually kind of frightened me at the time when the prospect of a big angry man wielding a huge sword would try to come for my head. Turns out though when I actually got to meet Chojuro he seemed kind of shy and kind and not really the hot-headed guy I pictured; I blame Zabuza-san for that earlier image. He actually wished me luck on restoring my Clan/Clans, and specifically asked me to take care of Mei-chan for him; a good guy that Chojuro. __I at first questioned to Tsunade-chan that her appearance was sorely based on Genjutsu, and that she was much older than she made herself out to be; normally under any other circumstance, I would've been punched through the wall halfway across Konoha for a comment like that, but given what the incidents that were soon to transpire she held back from clobbering me. _

_She said that after certain…act, was performed, other words, her Genjutsu appearance would become her actual appearance, and a great amount of her youth could be restored in the process; give or take twenty years, putting her in her fifties while her actual appearance would reassemble a woman in her mid thirties. __That act was…was…was…_

**"Hammerin' her like bent nail?"**

_Oh for fucks sake, why on Kami's green Earth do you have to put the most delicate of situations in such a vulgar namesake?_

**"Because I don't like to beat around the bush and sugarcoat things like you do a lot, Kit."**

_I don't sugarcoat anything, it's called having tact._

**"It's called being a PUSSY."**

_Ugh._

**"Hey, I remember that little 'experience', quite well, and you guys weren't even officially married yet, you little rabble-rouser. Then again, not like you officially got to have any weddings anyway, considering how everything went to Kingdom-come in the end anyway. Still, gotta live in the moment, man was that woman smooth; I mean like newborn foal smooth…gotta hand it to her even in her age, she was damn vibrant…"**

_Can you please stop talking about that way about Tsunade, I mean I knew for a long time as a Baa-chan who suddenly was to become my wife, and then in order for her that grand scheme of her to restore her youth would be to…_

**"Have your seminal fluids mix with hers while being coated with of my Chakra, allowing it to literally revitalize her body, restoring much of her youth in the process so she would actually look like her fake appearance rather than just having it be an illusion? Sounds like a lame Deus Ex Machina to me, but hey, it got results, now didn't it?"**

_Yeah…I'll agree with you there. Knowing that I was actually looking at Tsunade-chan for what she really was an not a reflection of what she wanted, she was quite beautiful…_

**"And you do realize we'll probably have to do that exact situation again since she died, right?"**

_Untrue, she said once that ritual was preformed that it only needed to be done once, and that if she was ever brought back from the grave, her appearance from the ritual would remain._

**"Wow, you really are a fun-sucker, you know that Kit."**

_Hey, I'm just tellin' you what she told me Kurama._

**"How did she even LEARN about something like that anyway?"**

_She read from an old tome, no idea where she got it by the way, that if a male Jinchuriki engaged in intercourse with an older woman and coated his seminal fluids with the Chakra of his Biju, it could restore the youth of his older mate considerably._

**"You do realize though she could've gotten pregnant, right? And that that little part of the ritual won't exactly be intact when she comes back? Meaning you'd still have to knock her up once or thrice in order to get some heirs?"**

_…Fuck._

**"Heh, I win."**

_Teme…anyway, moving on…__I believe after that little ritual, Mei-chan got all worked up over…watching, us. Some exotic voyeur fetish of hers, she'd get along brilliantly with you Kurama. Then she wanted to get involved…and then…_

**"Oh right! I remember that! Ha! That little teme Omoi burst in after he heard all the ruckus you caused with the Senju Woman and found you and the Godaime Hokage of Konoha completely naked, with the Godaime Mizukage literally trying to crawl up onto you."**

**"And then you ran for your life."**

_And then I ran for my life._

**"Nothing better than seeing you run nude down Kirigakure with an angry black man chasing you…fucking priceless."**

_It WASN'T funny, Kurama; it was downright terrifying._

**"Oh if only your tou-san could've seen it…"**

_I bet he DID, ya know, from the afterlife. He was probably laughing his ass off, Kaa-san was probably doing the same thing…_

**"Can you blame them?"**

_You're an asshole Kurama._

**"I love you too Kit."**

_That would've been a big step up for me too…I'd be the husband of both the Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure and of the Godaime Hokage of Kirigakure…I pretty much would've been a pseudo-Hokage in two renowned Villages!_

**"Shoulda, woulda, coulda, Kit."**

_Too true…too true. __Next came both Hotaru and Shizuka, two girls of equal passion who I came to love and respect as much as the rest of my lovers and wives.__Hotaru was a renowned member of the Tsuchigumo Clan who saw herself as the devoted servant to Utakata-san; one of my fellow Jinchuriki who held Saiken, the Rokubi, the Six-Tailed Slug, inside him. Utakata-san was one of the few fellow Jinchuriki I actually had the honor of meeting other than Gaara and Kirabi-san; a shame that our time together was originally that of cat and mouse. Utakata had the false delusion that the bond between a Master and a Student was nothing more than false pretense and trickery to be used to suit the Master; this kind of thinking was imprinted on him when thought his former Sensei, Harusame, had betrayed him and tried to take his life. _

_This was in fact, the other way around; Harusame had apparently tried to extract the Rokubi from Utakata without killing him, wanting him to lead a normal life without having to bear the burden of being a Jinchuriki. However despite his noble intent, Harusame's mission failed; and he was killed in the process. Multiple Hunter-Nin and ANBU Squads from Kirigakure had attempted to forcefully retrieve Utakata-san or try to truly convince him their Village was not what it once was; I can't say I blame Uta-san for not believing them, and consistently told them he would live his life as he saw fit and never be anyone's prisoner. _

_It's strange really, he wasn't quite what I expected him to be, but I'd rather have not known him any other way. He wasn't like me and he wasn't quite like how Gaara-san originally was, he was just himself; a wanderer, a loner, a bit misled, but still a good man it heart. It pained me to hear that he was eventually captured by Akatsuki and had Saiken forcefully extracted from him; killing him in the process while breaking Hotaru's heart who heard of the vile deed four months later. Her beloved 'Master' never did return to her, and I lost a person who could've been a friend, and more importantly, a brother.__When I initially went to talk to Hotaru-chan after she had learned what had become of Utakata, things didn't exactly go smoothly at first. _

_She had fallen into a deep depression, and even contemplated committing Hari Kiri for 'failing' her Master; something I immediately jumped and told her was not worth it in a million years. I told her that she had never once failed Utakata-san, and that he chose his path regardless of its consequences. He specifically chose to venture alone because he knew if anyone stronger than him were to try to harm him, he didn't want anyone else caught in the crossfire; which is exactly why he left her behind in the first place. It's not that he didn't want her there; he didn't want her to get hurt.__Hotaru more or less broke down after I apparently gave her a revelation and I swear to Kami that my old uniform never did get dry after she practically cried a literal river onto me. _

_I stayed in Kiri for a bit afterwards, telling her of how the CRA had been thrust upon me in all of its glorious detail. She seemed very intent on listening when I told her of the details, restoring the legacy of my mother and father's Clans, building a future I saw fit for my heirs, the multiple wives/brides scenario, the whole damn thing. _

_After five days in Kiri I was ready to get back to Konoha, only to have Hotaru run up to me as I headed for the gates; asking if not pleading to me to be one of wives and lovers, and to help me build the future I aspired to let my children roam. I at first highly questioned her intent at pledging herself to me, as I knew that she had loved Utakata-san dearly; and why she would want to be with mere months after his death seemed a little bit unseemly. _

_I remember Hotaru saying that she wanted to devote herself to my cause because it was the best way to 'remember and honor Utakata-sama' in her own words. She saw in her own mind that since I was a friend and a brother to Utakata, even if briefly, that was worth following my path since her beloved Master had come to trust me on his terms; something he hardly ever done with anyone while he was alive. And thus the Tsuchigumo Clan was to introduce itself within my blood as well, if only things had been that easy.__As for Utakata-san, he eventually became one of my Nine Paths of Truth after being freed from the Kabuto's Impure World Resurrection Technique near the peak of the Fourth Ninja World War; the same fate eventually befell all of my fellow Jinchuriki, even Gaara and Kirabi-san, who hadn't even passed on yet like the others did. _

_And by then Hotaru had already devoted herself to me despite her former feelings to Utakata, though she still cared deeply for him and wished to free him from Madara's grasp. _

**"Ah yes, I had almost forgotten about that little trump card of ours."**

_Not like I enjoyed getting that so-called 'power.'_

**"The benefits to it are enormous; it increased your Chakra Level almost twenty times what it already was; and that' saying a lot, given that you already had a near Kage Level of Chakra even without my help."**

_But was it worth it Kurama? Did it even matter in the end?_

**"Perhaps, perhaps not, but it was Nagato's gift he gave you when we met him again after he was revived by Orochimaru the Second. He imprinted or rather unlocked within you the ability of the Rinnegan, which in turn allowed you to use Paths like he originally did; but instead of Six you could use Nine, most likely relating to me due how many tails I have. The whole reason you had the ability to use that Kekkei Genkai within the first place was because of how it traced back to the first Rikudo Sannin, and how he was actually related to the Namikaze Bloodline; being your great grandfather times twenty times, which we weren't informed of until being visited by a vision of him right before we encountered Madara for the last time."**

_Having the Rinnegan awakened within me hurt like a bitch…_

**"It hurt me too ya know, it felt like someone stuck my eyes in lava."**

_Must've been even worse from the others, having a bloodline instilled within them that wasn't even theirs…_

"They knew of the consequences when the Rikudo Sannin connected all of our minds together and asked if they wanted to be joined to you in our final battle against Madara. He told them an alliance of the Biju under the keepsake of the Paths would be indomitable, but it could only occur if we all agreed to be forever bound by it; none of us would ever be the same again, and that having the Rinnegan installed in anyone else but you would hurt them even more than it did you previously; and that WE would share their combined pain equally."

_D__on't remind me, experiencing their combined pain as each one bore the anguish of having the Rinnegan established within their bodies was enough torment to make me think I was going to die before even facing Madara. I have never once in my life felt that much pain and I hope to never experience something like that ever again._

**"You'd think it Utakata, Roshi, Han, Yugito, Fu and Yagura wouldn't have felt as much pain due to the fact they were already dead from the neck up after being summoned by Orochimaru Number Two; I guess it goes to show ya the dead can feel anguish too."**

_I still remember being a bit creeped out by the fact that six out of my nine fellow Jinchuriki were still technically deceased when our minds and bodies were joined together. I was overjoyed by the fact I could finally talk to all of my fellow brothers and sisters for once in my life, that we could all share each other's experiences and finally fight as one; but that didn't change the facts that six of us had already died and were still clinically dead._

**"The Sage did say that once the Rinnegan had spread to the six deceased Jinchuriki that the awakening of that specific Kekkei Genkai would revitalize their bodies and allow them to be 'reborn'; factually speaking that the release of the bloodline limit of the original Rikudo Sannin would restore all the dead cell tissue within the body of a deceased person, thus, allowing them to be 'alive' again."**

_You think that my brothers and sisters, the new Paths, are still active? After my fight with Madara reached its climax I couldn't find them nor could I talk to them through our now connected minds, I still don't know if any of them are alive. They were never sealed with me inside that cave by that Specter I ran across so long ago._

**"If they were dead by now we would've 'felt' their absence in this world; and since you haven't made any remarks about not being able to feel their life-force currently I'd assume their alive. Perhaps the reason you, or rather we, couldn't sense them before was due to the destruction unleashed by Madara; which was enough to cloud the world in darkness for at least a thousand years apparently."**

**"It is more than likely that due to the near invulnerability of our Paths that they were sent into a comatose state, and they have yet to be revitalized by you due to the fact that you haven't activated your Rinnegan nor summoned within thousands of years; not that it was your fault that you couldn't, but you get what I'm driving at."**

_That's surprisingly positive thinking coming from you, Kurama._

**"In this new day and age, we've got to be positive, Kit. We cannot let ourselves be absorbed the feelings of failure or despair as we were before; we must press onward, regardless of any pain we might endure."**

_I wholeheartedly agree, we must press on no matter the cost._

**"Good to see you finally learned gaki."**

_I then came to the long end road of being set up with royals and renowned clanswomen who wanted to help me rebuild my clan…surprisingly, all that madness didn't stop me. I thought of a few people who I personally wanted by my side, important Clan be damned or not. The CRA said I could pick whoever I wanted as well, so I did; but the first 'normal' one actually ended coming to me.__Strangely, I actually understood Karin's motives for wanting to get involved with me. According to her, she practically hung over Sasuke like a shadow when his Team Hebi was still in affect; apparently even more so than Sakura during our early Genin days…and that's just frightening. But I guess after a few too many times of being used, abused and manipulated; Karin was starting to doubt whether or not Sasuke was really worth all the devotion she was giving him in order to realize his dreams. _

_Apparently, she decided to finally abandon all loyalties to him when Danzo tried to use her as a human shield during his fight with Sasuke, and that Uchiha-teme used his Chidori Sharp Spear Technique to just drill through Karin to get to Danzo; not at all concerned with killing a teammate to get what he wanted. Then again, at that point I shouldn't have been surprised, Sasuke tried to kill me to get what he wanted years prior, why would now have been so different? __Karin and I originally joked that our soon to be marriage was only possible because both of us nearly took a Chidori Technique to the heart; which we both had a good laugh about. According to her, as I was a much 'warmer' version of Sasuke; to her, I was what she wanted him to have been, a strong but kind warrior with a lot of sex appeal…her words, not mine.__While I originally just thought Karin was using me as a replacement Sasuke of sorts, she quickly denied such an idea when I approached her about it. _

_Sasuke nearly killed through cold-hearted manipulation and abuse, she wanted someone she felt was 'pure' enough to be with her; to protect her from people like Sasuke, and most importantly, to love her. I agreed to her proposal and then was yet another wife to be had, the first one who didn't have any royal blood relating to an esteemed Clan.__Then there was Hokuto and Isaribi, two girls I had actually met before who actually friggin' liked me and I was too much of a dumbass to notice! Just like with Hinata._

**"And finally you admit it."**

_Shut it._

**"Can't, freedom of speech."**

_Ugh. __ANYWAY…__Hokuto and I met her when I traveled with Team Guy in a joint mission after I bribed Tsunade-chan with chestnut cake…good times that. Our relationship began a bit rough though, when she tried to attack me not realizing I was a Konoha Nin; we had a good laugh about, sat down to eat, got to know each other, the good stuff.__Soon after that we learned that a teme named Akahoshi, who was the self-proclaimed Yondaime Hoshikage of the Village, was a complete manipulative asshole. He and his followers Shiso and Yotaka had killed the Sandaime Hoshikage in secret, and planned to use the power of a fallen star, which Hoshigakure was named after, to imbue themselves with its power as well as all of Hoshigakure; planning to take over the Five Nations with their combined strength. That teme even killed Natsuhi-chan, Sumaru-san's mother with that infernal power of his. Honestly, even if such a plan were to fully commence, with all of the Hoshigakure Nin being empowered by the Star, I don't think it would've worked to Akahoshi's desire. _

_I mean, I killed Akahoshi when he was at the peak of his power whilst imbued with the Star with my Rasengan; and I was only a Genin then; I'm pretty sure any Jonin capable enough would've been able to defeat him, like Guy-sensei or Kakashi-sensei for example. And to take on the Five Countries? Hoshigakure was a little known village within Kuma no Kuni itself, and barely had enough power to be a Shinobi military standpoint…Akahoshi really didn't think such things through, he was just some fool with an overinflated ego._

**"And that's why he ended up with a big gaping hole in his chest."**

_Indeed._

_Unfortunately, I recall that one I blew a hole through Akahoshi's chest, it destroy the Star in the process; causing a massive shockwave that leveled the area we fought in. His followers Shiso and Yotaka, who were at the heart of the explosion since they were aiding Akahoshi during his fight with me, were apparently killed by the last. Sumaru, who was helping me fight that self-proclaimed teme, was apparently rescued mere seconds before the explosion by Guy-sensei's swift intervention.__Due to my healing powers, I didn't die from the shockwave; but I was knocked out for approximately three days and was transported back to Konoha in the process. I didn't learn of what had transpired with Akahoshi until I woke up of course, greeted by Shizune-chan and Kakashi-sensei. They told me of what had occurred, the death of Akahoshi and his followers at my hands, Sumaru's near death experience, Hoshigakure's liberation and my three day coma.__Much to my displeasure, apparently I had greatly worried Hokuto-chan ever since I launched that seemingly suicidal attack against Akahoshi-teme, and she had been contacting Konoha every day since before I woke up to hear of my condition. When I sent a letter back to her myself stating that I had woken up and was recovering quickly, apparently she was greatly relieved to the point of tears._

_When I thought of Hokuto, I thought of someone I could trust. She was a strong, loyal yet independent girl who stayed as true to her heart as I ever did; the only she reason she attacked me was because she thought as I with Akahoshi. I traveled to Hoshigakure myself to ask Hokuto if she wanted to be one of brides/wives through the Namikaze-Uzumaki CRA, and more importantly, if she wanted me to help build the future I thought to achieve. My response was her shedding many tears of overwhelming joy, and being straddled with a rib crushing embrace. __Apparently, much to my surprise at the current time; Hoshigakure had now looked up to Konohagakure as a village of great heroism and selfless sacrifice following the dethroning of their self-proclaimed, backstabbing Yondaime Hoshikage Akahoshi.__And more notably, just like with the incident with Gato-teme at Nami no Kuni; Hoshigakure regarded as me some type of hero following Akahoshi's defeat. Which kinda makes sense, seeing as how I, albeit unintentionally, killed him. I shoulda thought that strategy through though; attacking an unknown energy source with a source of possibly even greater energy obviously equals BOOM._

_I still think that the bridge Tazuna-san built in Nami no Kuni called the 'Great Naruto Bridge' still should've been named the 'Great Zabuza Bridge'; Zabuza-san may have been a criminal and a murderer for such a long time, but he died with the honor of a true Nin, he sacrificed himself to kill Gato-teme. He should've been the one honored that day, not me.__Plus, Zabuza made the 'true' sacrifice anyway; he died as a true warrior; I just got knocked out following Akahoshi's death. I guess beggars can't be choosers though, I still technically defeated a tyrant, and a traitorous Kage at that; something which the Konoha Council stupidly tried to punish me for when I was unconscious for three days._

_ According to Shizune-chan the Konoha Council saw what I did at Hoshigakure as more of a crime than a heroic act, claiming that even if Akahoshi, the 'official' Yondaime Hoshikage was corrupt, I STILL killed a Kage without the permission to do so, thus, why I should be jailed/executed or some bullshit like that.__Tsunade-chan would have none of this though, and like the people of Hoshigakure, sided with me and claimed and praised me for liberating them from Akahoshi's tyranny. _

_Plus, she also made the point that an official assassination order for Akahoshi would've undoubtedly been permitted within time anyway, like when Yagura-san was manipulated by Madara-teme's Sharingan to become a tyrant over his own people.__Ever since my departure, Hoshigakure saw me as the Hero and Liberator of their Village; and my strength was there was said to be of 'legend' since I had both killed their Kage AND destroy the very Star that there village was named after; which was supposed to grant unlimited power, just like the Stone of Gelel Haido-teme was after following months prior. _

_The people of Hoshigakure were actually a bit enthralled with the idea that their 'savior' would pay a part in their lives, marrying a growing woman of their village and watching over them as a protector in the future once more. That, and when they found out that I was the son of Namikaze Minato like so many others did, they practically had a seizure in the process.__Heh, I even heard a rumor that the Council of Hoshigakure was thinking that after the war with Madara-teme was over, they were thinking of offering me the position of Godaime Hoshikage; as if I didn't have enough growing power already.__Didn't I end up going to Nadeshiko Village to propose to Shizuka? I think I did, I hope I did._

**"You did Kit; which kinda works out anyway since that old fool Jiraiya promised that one day his student would fight the to be leader of that Village and take her hand in marriage."**

_Yeah, I remember…_

**"A shame you didn't have common sense when you first met her before the CRA was enacted upon you; you probably should've taken the offer."**

_Maybe, but we don't know how that would've worked out._

**"True."**

_After our battle that I didn't even want to participate in to begin with anyway, we were confronted by an idiot named Kokuyo who Shizuka had beat before our initial conflict. He apparently wanted to forcefully marry Shizuka to gain power of Nadeshiko Village, despite how she spurned his vulgar advances. During his second attack I sent him and his puppet flying with an Odama Rasengan; which most likely killed him in the process. I told Shizuka that someone with the power to lead a whole Village had the right to change laws that they didn't see as prominent, and I told her that I already loved someone else anyway; before coming to an epiphany at that said person much later…_

**"Ah yes, the bubblegum-haired bitch."**

_Can you please not refer to Sakura that way? I haven't loved her in quite some time but I still respect her._

**"Can't see why Kit; she beat you senseless nearly every day over stupid shit, she was practically more abusive than how Shukaku used to be to his mates."**

_But-_

**"Not only that the only reasons you realized that a relationship between the two of you probably was because of the undeniable facts in front of you that had constantly put out of your head for years. One, she always beat the living shit out of you at every moment. Two, she always found fault with nearly everything you did; regardless if you were successful or not. And most importantly three, she could never get over that whole Sasuke leaving the village scenario; even when it became imperative and unavoidable that he had to be stopped no matter the cost, she never had the guts or drive to actually kill him."**

**"Didn't she have the gall to tell you she was in love with you only so you'd stop chasing Sasuke because she didn't want either of you to die when your final confrontation with one another took place? That she didn't want you to bear the burden of bringing him back which she indirectly placed on you, which nearly got you killed at the Valley of the End to begin with?"**

_Must you concentrate on the negative Kurama?_

**"You damn well know I'm not being negative, only factual; you came to truth with these terms a long time ago anyway.""And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she eventually hold some kind of romantic feelings for you, but at that point it was far too late? You had no further interest in her, and you only wished for her to find happiness in her own way without you by her side."**

_Yes, I did._

**"Sounds like you pussied out to me; I would've wanted that bitch to rot in Hell if I were you."**

_I guess that makes me a better person than you then, Kurama._

**"A better person maybe, but not a better DEMON, Kit."**

_Whatever, I don't want to get into a philosophical debate with you at the moment; the important part is that I think I've properly remembered all the women who would've become my wives through the Clan Restoration Act, am I right Kurama? Did I remember everyone or did I leave someone important out? My memory is still foggy._

**"I don't know, did you?"**

_Come on Fox, don't screw with me; we both know you have a better memory than I do._

**"No, you didn't forget anyone; personally I still think we shoulda gone for more."**

_You're incorrigble._

**"Hey, I just like to get tail that's all."**

_I heard rumors that Gaara had found love in two girls who happened to both admire, respect and love him; I think their names were Matsuri and Sari, with Matsuri being his first apprentice. Whether or not these rumors were true or not, I never got to find out due to the imminence of the War; I hope they were, Gaara-san deserved to have someone or rather someone's to truly love him. He had nothing but hatred and fear directed at him nearly his entire life, he deserved his happiness.__Sakura eventually came to terms that a relationship between the two of us just wasn't meant to be, I think she actually ended up hooking up with Rock Lee near what was to be the end of the war. I was actually pretty glad for Lee at the time; I knew he liked her for a long time like I always did; so I was happy when I learned that at least one of us finally got with her. The both needed comfort at the time anyway, Sakura for what was happening with my life and Lee-san for the upcoming responsibilities and possible casualties of war. I just hope Lee was ready to have a relationship with Sakura, Kami knows he'll have needed luck and skill for it. _

_Apparently Tenten and Neji finally hooked up a coupling and stopped denying the obvious tension in between them, which I could literally cut through like thick fog at the time. Everyone knew they were just trying to be professional as teammates and the good shit like that, but you can't deny your emotions forever; at one point or another somehow someone's gotta give. Tenten had always admired Neji as the self-proclaimed genius and prodigy of the Hyuga Clan back when he was still an arrogant twit before I knocked some sense into him, and then she eventually grew to love the part of him that I installed within him; the kinder, compassionate, understanding side of him that realized people aren't bound by fate and can do anything once they set their mind to it. _

_Some gossip started to spread around the village that during what began as argument between the two Neji and Tenten had a little 'premarital incident'; which I guess was true since the two started to spend more time together than ever before after said incident._

**"What you really mean to say is they got an argument, somehow they resolved their tensions through some sloppy sex, and then they decided that they were perfect for each other afterwards."**

_Shut up, I'm ignoring you.__Kakashi-sensei apparently hooked up with both Ayame-chan and Mitarashi Anko; I don't even want to know how he pulled that off. I mean for Gaara it was understandable how he got both Sari and Matsuri, he was a Hokage and that meant more leniency for multiple relationships even without the CRA being enacted upon him; but Kakashi-sensei hadn't had a Hatake CRA placed on him, he had to act as an ordinary guy would to balance his love interests. That must've been an absolute nightmare given how Ayame was usually so sweet and innocent and Anko was…well, not so sweet and innocent. I just hope he treated Ayame-chan was the respect and love she deserved, she was practically like my sister throughout all the years I spent at Ichiraku._

_One couple that bloomed out the compassion of their love for one another that through me through a loop was Sai-san and Ino-chan. When Sai and I originally met, I have to admit, I kinda despised him. I only saw him as a would-be replacement for Sasuke, who I thought at the time, should never have been replaced to begin with. We eventually came to have a mutual respect and understanding for each other, as we learned more about each other's background, goals and lives in general. Sai led a pretty tragic life actually, his adoptive brother was killed by an unknown disease and he was forcefully used as a tool for Danzo-teme's Root ANBU operations. __Sai had actually complimented Ino-chan a few times accidentally after I told him to tell people the opposite of what he actually thought of them, due to the fact that when he addressed Sakura and Choji of what he really thought of them he nearly got us killed twice. Eventually Sai finally found someone he could share his true feelings with, hanging out with Ino in her flower shop eventually brought out the better side of him. _

_He wanted to have someone to hold for a while, but the curse placed on him by Danzo wouldn't allow him to have such 'trivial' attachments. When Danzo finally died that curse was broken, and he could finally express his emotions to the fullest. Sai found someone special in his life before he died like everyone else in the War, and for that alone, I'm happy for him._

_Iruka-Sensei ended up getting with Mizuki's ex-fiancée Tsubaki; apparently they managed to become really good friends after I drilled a hole through that teme's stomach in our little rematch. The Council, for once in their abysmally stupid lives made a good decision and decided that Tsubaki was innocent of any accusations made to relate her with Mizuki's second attempt at treason against Konoha. I'm actually kinda surprised they didn't try to sentence me like they attempted to when I killed Akahoshi when even though he was rampant, he was still considered to be the current Hoshikage at the time. Maybe's it because I killed someone who had already proven himself a traitor to my Village before, and that revoked any knowledge of him being an instructor and teacher in Konoha's eyes. _

_I guess what began as friends eventually clumsily stumbled its way into something more, which I'm kinda glad happened to Iruka-san anyway. He took a giant shuriken to the back for me for Kami's sake, he deserves to have someone to love and someone to love him back. Tsubaki was always a nice woman from what I can remember, so I'm glad Iruka found a good match for himself. I remember Anko-chan wouldn't stop teasing him about it though with her comments of who was 'on top' during the relationship; good thing Kakashi-Sensei managed to 'talk' her out of it._

_Probably the most innocent love that I can think of that occurred during those times was with Konohamaru and Moegi. I actually thought that those two might've gotten together over time due to their similar personalities, I guess I was right. They both loved Konoha, they both loved pranks, they both lived being a Ninja, and eventually they found some type of common ground they could both rest on. From what I heard though poor Udon got his heart broken, I guess he liked Moegi too but he was too nervous to tell her; I guess that's what happens when you don't make the first move. Then again, I'm not sure if Moegi would've even gone for it to begin with due to that huge nostril dangler of his…that kid really needed to wipe his nose. _

_Kiba ended up hooking up with that girl who beat the fucking life out of me, Karui, I think her name was. They apparently had met some time after I was given some internal injuries by Karui, and their relationship first started off as that was better than whom. Their competitive and aggressive personalities got the better of each other, they both seemed to hate one another from what I heard because they were both bragging about who was better; their rivalry eventually turned into an angry sex relationship from what I heard…sheesh._

_I heard some rumors that the Raikage, A, apparently got into a bit of a controversial stance when some tales spread that he had a little 'under the desk' action with his assistant, Mabui. No idea on whether or not was true, but despite how cold A was most of the time, I hope he found someone to keep him happy. __One of the more shocking relationships I heard was that lazy baka Shikamaru actually hooked up with his SENSEI of all people, the lovely Yuhi Kurenai. A_

_fter the death of Shikamaru's former Sensei at the hands of one Akatsuki's members named Hidan, Asuma-san left more than his legacy behind to his team; he left behind his daughter implanted with Kurenai's womb as well. During the time while Kurenai was pregnant with Asuma's kid Shika-san told me he promised to his teacher he'd take good care of Kurenai for him, and I guess over time that promise of his evolved into something more than strictly a sensei-student bond and turned into a student-student relationship. _

_I never would of guessed Kurenai as the kind of woman who would go for that sort of thing or even be into younger guys in the first place, but to each his or her own I guess. After all the bullshit he went through Shika eventually ended up scoring, and with one hell of a smoking sensei I might add.__Well, I think that's just about all the relationships I had in my past life, and all the other bonds everyone had, is that about right Kurama? I didn't leave anyone out did I?_

**"Nah, you're good Kit; I'm actually surprised you managed to remember all of that due to how long we were out. Now let's try to get some sleep shall we? We probably still have a few hours before we reach Azula's destination; wherever that is."**

_Fair enough, pleasant dreams Kurama._

**"Yeah…you too Kit."**

**"…Hey Kit?"  
**_**  
**__Yeah?_

**"It's good to be back."**

_I couldn't agree more._

*Six Hours Later*

An abundant time had passed since Azula's group had departed from the ruins where they found Naruto imprisoned, and they continued to near their destination with each passing minute. Azula's golden eyes scouted the room of the carriage for any signs of activity, but she found little movement between either of her companions or Naruto himself.

Ty Lee had fallen asleep near the edge of her corner and Mai who had earlier drifted off had been awake for the past few hours with a bored expression on her face. Glancing over in Naruto's direction, the long golden haired boy had been cross-legged in a meditation stance for well over four hours now. Both of his eyes, his azure blue one and his pale green blind one had been closed for quite some time; and it was now difficult to tell whether he was still meditating or he had drifted off himself.

Boredom had made itself apparent in her mind as well, she had been awake for at least half the journey, but it seemed as if reaching the shoreline which would serve as the entrance way to the fleet seemed to be getting farther and farther away no matter how long the carriage pulled them. Azula had actually brought up the possibility in her mind that they could be under another of the illusions called Genjutsu Naruto had mentioned earlier, but they seemed highly unlikely given how concealed the last one had been; and she only managed to pass through that because of the requirement the caster had set for it so long ago.

_*Sigh*…I hope that we reach the fleet soon, too much time has already passed as it is. Father made it clear to me that Admiral Zhao while powerful in his own right cannot be truly trusted to lead this invasion on his own. He has already fumbled and failed capturing the Avatar almost as many times as Zuzu has, and that's saying quite a lot considering how pathetic my wretch of a brother is. __I'll also probably have to inform Zhao personally that Naruto is not a threat so he can relay that message to the fleet; I don't want an entire Armada thinking that what could possibly be our greatest weapon to be further cannon fodder for their own amusement. _

_I'm not sure how he'll even take to my presence in the first place, I know he was informed of my coming and he know to treat the family with utmost respect but I know that he doesn't exactly like being upstaged; he's a powerful man, but a bit vain at the same time.__That being said, I can only hope he doesn't try to cause problems for Naruto, given how much of an asset he could be to this invasion. Zhao will most likely not trust him specifically due to his background and how he's supposed to be thousands of years older than the already old Avatar, but I will assure Naruto that the Admiral will NOT be a problem to him. I swear if Zhao tries anything stupid to try to get Naruto injured I swear by my ancestors that he'll pay for such impudence._

As soon as Azula finished her thoughts, a small rumble shook the carriage, to which no one conscious within the cart including herself thought little of it; most likely they had just hit a bump in the road like they had done so many times before. However, such a castoff notion was soon eliminated when a full throttle crash sent the carriage reeling off onto its side, the cries of the guards being heard as a sign of their imminent pain; as well the surprised yells of Azula and her friends being thrown asunder in their method of transport.

After the event had ended and the carriage lay on its side, everyone tried to regain their balance from the abrupt incident. Azula kicked herself up as Mai groaned while she clumsily regained her balance, and Ty Lee had found what she had landed on that cushioned her fall so. The pink acrobat had landed on top of the golden haired boy that she had found interesting and likeable in such a short amount of time, the catch being that her breasts had implanted themselves right into his face; to which only a short bit of his face was visible, clearly shocked and too embarrassed to move.

Ty Lee nearly kicked herself off of Naruto upon such a realization, her face as bright and vibrant as a tomato, with Naruto still a bit stunned at what had just occurred. The flexible girl's friends who had witnessed said event were a bit flabbergasted, with Mai facepalming in embarrassment and Azula rolling her eyes at the hi-jinks that unfolded for the group. Regaining her composure and running her fingers through her hair, Azula stood up with a prepared a ball of flame coursing in her palm. A slight explosion occurred with what was the top of the carriage from the four's perspective blowing wide open, pieces of wood and furnishings scattering everywhere.

The four climbed out of the now ruined transport carefully, each of their feet hitting the ground with as much grace as either one of them could provide. Regaining all of their awareness, they each looked around to survey the damage and the possible attacker at bay. Large boulders and rocks had littered the road ahead of them, each cracking and destroying pieces of the highway ahead of them. Naruto looked back in the direction where they had came from and had observed that the left side of the carriage had nearly been torn apart, a large boulder a few feet behind them had evidence of what appeared to be wood and furnishings tarnishing its side.

Azula's eyes narrowed in obvious annoyance, her delicate hands balled up into fists.

"Earthbenders." The Fire Princess practically spat, earning the eyes of her companions. The blond sage was familiar with such a tactic, and knew that this attack was meant to either delay them or with the hope of their assailants, kill them. It had become increasingly obvious that their attackers were quite possibly aware of their destination, and sought to stop them from reaching it through a violent means.

Ty Lee and Mai's eyes darted back and forth, looking for any signs of enemy activity and trying to prepare themselves if they were to be attacked again; which was more than likely a possibility. The three girls knew that Earthbender freedom fighters were quite usually prideful, aggressive warriors; and while guerilla warfare tactics were abundantly used by them in small raids against Fire Nation transports but usually continued to drive their attack further in most occasions.

Naruto's right eye traced the landscape for any sign of his assailants, and more importantly for any strategic points where an enemy could possibly strike from. His enemy, or rather enemies seemed to be quite stealthy; hidden by whatever camouflage they could find. However, Naruto noticed there was little place for the enemy to hide in such an open area, except for the trees facing either the left or right sides; but such an attack would be predictable and forthcoming, something he had not been used to since his earlier Shinobi days of complex battle formations.

_They couldn't be hiding in the forest, it's too predictable, and much too cramped for people who throw giant rocks to possibly maneuver and aim carefully. The only other places they could have attacked from would be from either in front of us or behind us, and since none of us witnessed the attack it could be either one.__Unless…they're a bit more crafty than I give them credit for…__Not from the sides…not from the front or bottom….__Below!_

Activating his Rinnegan, the one good eye of the Sage turned into swirling fixture of violet, adamantly concentrated to the inevitable battle before. Violently extending one hand to the ground, he motioned for Azula and her friends to stand back from the surrounding area.

"Shinra Tensei!"

A massive controlled force of sheer power exploded from the youth's open palm, exploding the very ground before him and nearly decimating the road ahead of them. Several bodies exploded from under the ground, they're shocked visages flying through the air at uncontrolled speeds. Many crashed into the rubble of what was once a road violently, while others did their best to land without suffering too much damage.

Once their assailants groggily stood before them, the eyes of Azula sharpened into daggers, while Naruto's now functioning eye concentrated on the foes before him. Most of them were rugged muscular men, but there were at least four females in the group who retained a certain aspect of masculinity and power, but not nearly as much as their male counterparts. Counting the numbers before him, there seemed to be about twenty one of them; however the unleashed Shinra Tensei had caught about six of them off guard, and their bodies now littered the road, reducing their numbers to approximately fifteen.

Naruto looked back at his companions, giving them the look that told them he'd take care of it. The trio of ladies looked quite surprised at the power he had displayed, and were now distracted by the fact that both of his eyes were now a context of purple swirls. Looking back at his opponents, Naruto's violet eyes intensified at his first battle in his newfound life.

"I assume you're the louts that attacked us? You didn't do a very good job, we're all alive, and now six of your friends are dead because of your combined failure. I suggest all of you turn back now, I do not wish to further bloody my hands with the bile of the unworthy." Naruto calmly and coldly stated, earning a few of the Earthbenders to step back in fear or preparation at the unknown power they had witnessed. The tallest and most muscular of the lot pointed at Naruto in anger, and his nostrils flaring and his eyes practically shaking in anger.

"I don't know what the hell kind of power you used against us, but you're clearly allied with the Fire Nation! We intercepted and interrogated a Fire Nation spy and he spilled his guts to us that the Princess of the Fire Nation was going to rendezvous with the fleet led by that disgusting Admiral Zhao! That same spy also informed me that fleet is heading way due North, most likely to the North Water Tribe to launch a full frontal assault against it; this cannot be allowed to occur!" The man practically screamed, earning a further glare from Azula in the process. The Fire Princess hated people like these, and hated even more that a spy of her Nation had spilled such pivotal Intel regarding the invasion operation; to Azula, the spy deserved whatever fate these pigs had planned for him after he had betrayed his own Nation out of cowardice.

"We've come to stop you four from supporting Zhao's fleet, no matter the cost. And I don't care what kind of strength the one with the golden hair has, even though the information we gathered said nothing about such a person accompanying the Princess of the Fire Nation. It matters not, you'll all die here and your deaths will cripple that accursed Nation!" The leader bellowed once again, earning a shrug and a headshake from Naruto in the process. Naruto's violet eye looked to Azula once more, giving her the sign that he'd take care of the interlopers.

Pressing both of his hands together, the golden haired Sage made multiple hand signs and slammed his palms down into the earth. A large sword with two large holes in it seemed to appear from the air directly above the youth, falling into his right hand which he grasped with adamant determination.

_Kubikiribocho…it's been a long time since I used you last, let's see if you still hold up as well as you did so long ago._The remaining Earthbenders as well as Azula and her companions had their eyes widen at the sheer sight of a sword so large, and even more shocking was how the youth could balance its weight so on his shoulders. Regardless, that did not stop Naruto's aggressors from charging furiously at him, which the blonde returned with equal passion at charging full speed as well.

As the large group of freedom fighters and Naruto came to a close in physical distance in between one another, Naruto opened up his first attack with a massive running three sixty swing of Zabuza's sword cleaving three out of the fifteen fighters in two; their separated heaps hitting the ground with a squishy thud. All of the Earthbenders entered defensive stances soon after, amazed that what looked to be a nineteen year old in front of them could swing the sword like it was light as a feather; nevertheless their eyes burned with a newfound hated at the boy for dispensing of their friends so easily.

With a rallying cry from their leader, the Earthbenders charged once again; hoping to outnumber and outperform the mysterious yet powerful youth before them. Four of them charged directly against Naruto, kicking up large heaps of rubble on their direct path to the sun haired youth.

While Naruto found it more than easy to carve through the chunks of rock thrown at him, the four charging benders, three men and one woman, were soon upon him delivering blow after blow to the Kubikiribocho in attempt to break his defense. Protecting himself with the flat side of the large sword, Naruto withstood the front of the brutish assault, his violet eyes gazing as more of his foes approached from the same direction; with others incoming from the left and right in an attempt to flank him.

Swinging Zabuza's sword in a wide turn to retaliate against his attackers, the four benders quickly back flipped out of the sword's reach and began trying to pelt Naruto with more slabs of rock as their friends made their way to his sides. Once more cleaving through the airborne pieces of earth, Naruto gathered a bright red coursing energy into his free hand as he protected himself from being pelted with rocks as well trying to keep his flankers at bay. Jumping high into the air, Naruto eyes surveyed the battlefield as he prepared his next move.

"Katon! Fureasutomu no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted loudly, and not a moment late several elongated waves of flame burst from his hands, forcing the flanking Earthbenders to dodge as the several torrents of fire disintegrated the forward aggressors to ash. Not giving his opponents a moment to think, Naruto raised the Kubikiribocho at a high diagonal point above him, as swirling visuals of lightning appeared around the large sword.

"Raiton: Borutotorunedo-jutsu o sekken!"

Tossing the large blade with all his might at his assailants, it began to spin in a complete three sixty notion soon after it was airborne. It swirled faster and faster until an evident trace of lightning had imbued itself within its steel; and the speed and suction of the air gathering around it had formed a miniaturized tornado, which picked six of the unlucky eleven Earthbenders who weren't fast enough to dodge the technique or escape its pull. Those trapped within the attack were electrified with enough volts of electricity that it literally made their skin sizzle and fry; and winds caused by the Kubikiribocho were so powerful and sharp they were literally apart the flesh of those unlucky enough to be in its path.

The sword quickly swerved high into the air like a boomerang and dislodged all those trapped within the tornado like an empty bag amongst the wind; their bodies already broken beyond repair landed with sickening cracks as they plummeted to the ground below them, at which at the same time the large blade returned to its owner. Smiling at how easy the fight was going for him, Naruto raised his sword up in the air and it evaporated in a shimmer of light. Cracking his knuckles in anticipation, Naruto ran towards the remaining Earth Benders at an extraordinarily high speed, with his foes about ready to retreat with their tail between their legs due to this boy's strange powers.

Concentrating his strength into his fists, Naruto ended his run with a powerful leaping punch straight into the face of the last remaining female Earth Bender; shattering her skull in five different places in the process as she slammed across the grounds like a cannonball had hit her. The remaining four Earthbenders including the leader charged at Naruto in a desperate gamble to defeat him, with the first offender imbuing his fist with the earth to create a gauntlet made of rock as he swerved to punch the blonde's face in. Front flipping over the Earth bender and delivering a spinning heel kick to the cranium of the next bender who was jumping at him, Naruto landed eloquently as the foe he had just hit crashed to the ground lifeless at the monument impact.

The man he had jumped over previously leapt at him once more in a fury, while Naruto extended his hand once more and uttered the phrase that started the battle.

"Shinra Tensei."

The force of the blast literally crushed many of the bones of the solo target, sending him flying in the opposite direction and landing unceremoniously in a crumpled heap near the side of what was once the road.

The leader of the strike team and his remaining teammate clenched their teeth in anger and in fear, and then the subordinate ran towards his death despite the protest of his friend. Throwing a powerful punch at Naruto which the Sage surprisingly made no attempt dodge, much to the confusion of Azula and her friends. The blow landed decisively against his face with a shattering impact, much to the pleasure of his attacker; but that pleasure soon turned to horror when he saw his opponent looking directly into his eyes, unflinching and unphased by the direct hit.

An azure ball of energy spiraled in Naruto's right hand, crackling to life amidst the hosts' near endless chakra flow. Ramming the Rasengan violently into the gut of the last of the two Earthbenders, it quickly started to tears its way into the man's stomach; to which he could not even express his pain due to his obvious shock. Naruto lifted his arm in a sudden motion, sending the man flying like a pinwheel at least thirty yards into the air; to which he crashed far in the distance, where he would be most assuredly dead or near its embrace in the least.

The leader of the now nonexistent force, his cheeks puffed in anger and in concentration grabbed the Earth below him as his muscles strained themselves for a mighty feat. Naruto decided to watch rather than intercept his attack, knowing the outcome would be the same no matter what he did. The ground shook and split apart as the man uprooted a boulder at least five times his size, though he struggled to hold it properly lest its very weight crush him. Using whatever remaining strength he had left, the man hurled the large slab of earth at the golden haired youth, until the huge piece of stone landed on top of Naruto and his form disappeared into the ground.

Azula's eyes widened in both anger and possible fear that Naruto had been crushed to death amidst his overconfidence, while Mai had a look of discomfort upon her face as Ty Lee bore a look of extreme worry. The last remaining assailant of the carriage weakly laughed as his muscles threatened to fall apart, but his joy faded immediately when the rock literally split into hundreds of pieces as his foe reappeared from under it, undamaged.

Stepping back in fear at the boy's feet, Naruto couldn't help but smirk. He was as powerful as he remembered himself to be in his past life, and that would surely come in handy for what was to come. This had been a pleasing warm up to confirm if he was still himself, but all good things had to come to an end sooner or later.

Extending his left hand at the quivering man, several slabs of earth rose of the ground around him, only to momentarily explode and shape themselves into a multitude of sharpened spears made of rock. The man gazed at Naruto with a look of disbelief and fear, almost begging him with eyes to spare him; but he would find no mercy here. Naruto opened his mouth slowly and then adamantly yelled the words to finish the one-sided battle.

"Doton! Rakka sekijun no Jutsu!"

And then all at once, all the of the slabs of rocks shaped into stalagmite-like foundations impaled the man from all angles; a single moment of unbelievable pain and a lifetime of endless silence. What was once the form of the lead attacker now was nothing more than a bloody husk that now barely reassembled a person and instead looked like some sort of macabre voodoo doll; his body, if one could call it that anymore, was threatening to fall to pieces out of how many large holes had pierced through it, but the corpse couldn't descend to nothing from all spears that held it in place.

Turning to the trio of his newfound companions behind him with a victorious smile adorning his face, Naruto wasn't surprised to see what their reactions were. Mai and Ty Lee looked both dumbfounded and a tad shocked at the violence Naruto had unleashed, while Azula stood in the middle of the gaping two with an almost sadistic smirk on her face. Raising her hands ever so calmly, Azula began a slow clap for the victorious boy, to which Naruto himself to a playful customary bow.

"Well done Naruto, your abilities are indeed quite unusual, but most efficient in times of battle. I must say, I've never seen anyone fight like you do, nor have I ever seen any such techniques in any of my personal accounts of battle. Truly you do possess the skill the Spirit spoke of, but I wonder if it is truly to the lengths that Faust described; after all, while your brutality and power is commendable, I could've just as easily kill those fools as well." Azula practically chuckled amidst the chaos that had unfolded, earning a sly almost devilish smile from Naruto as a response.

"Well my Hime, I guess you'll just have to wait and see what kind of power I truly have, now won't you?" Naruto almost hauntingly implied, earning a shiver from all the three girls in the process. Before Naruto could casually rejoin the group, Mai dusted herself off from some of the debris that had spread from the battle; she opened her mouth to address the young Sage's actions.

"As much as I appreciate your talents in getting rid of our attackers; I think it goes without saying that you were a tad brutal in the way you dealt with them. I know you come from a time long since passed, but are you so indifferent about who you kill?" Mai stoically stated, earning a small stare from Ty Lee and an almost glare from Azula.

Naruto merely shrugged and sighed at Mai's comment, knowing full well of how he dealt with his foes and how he took their lives. He knew he'd have to address his methods of combat sometime with them, he had just hoped it didn't have to be so soon.

"They chose their paths Mai-chan; I just happened to cross it." Naruto almost replied in an almost monotone fashion, earning an eye raise from the dark girl in the process. In truth Naruto himself wasn't all too fond of the act of taking a life, but at most times in his past life it was nearly always unavoidable; it would seem that that same scenario hadn't changed for this world at all. He recalled an earlier conversation he had with the Spirit called Faust mere weeks before he was sealed away, and how they discussed that humans would always have reasons to kill one another; it would appear that situation would never change, no matter how many centuries would pass.

"That's a little cold of you Naruto…I mean, they were our enemies, but I usually don't like to kill people." Ty Lee commented on the side, kicking up dirt almost solemnly with her bright sandals. Naruto smiled at the bright girl and put his right hand on her shoulder, she looked up at his now normal eyes in surprise, captivated by both a pale green and azure blue eye amidst a long set of golden hair.

"I usually don't like to kill either Ty Lee, regardless of what my prowess in battle ever will be. However, some people can't be turned from what path they take; I failed to learn that lesson a long time ago, and even more people got hurt as a result of my foolishness. I'll try to give mercy to those who truly want peace, but I will not forgive those who attack me or my friends." Naruto peacefully said, earning a small smile from both Ty Lee and Mai; as well as a very miniscule look of question from Azula. The Sage wasn't done there though, as he cupped the acrobat's chin with his bandaged right hand, and brought her face to meet his eye to eye; a blush slowly creeping across her face.

"Besides, we wouldn't want that pretty face getting hurt now, would we Ty-chan?" Naruto said as he grinned from ear to ear, earning an eye roll from Mai and a small laugh from Azula. Ty Lee, a tad flustered at the intimacy the ancient man had presented nearly tripped over her feet despite her balance; huffing in embarrassment through crossed arms.

Naruto tossed off his now ruined battle jacket, revealing his bare, muscular frontal torso only briefly before he extended his arms to the side; a bright light momentarily engulfing him, after it had faded it revealed the same cloak he had worn in his fight against the Paths of Pain.

"By the way Naruto, what was up with your eyes during the fight? They turned purple and had multiple swirls in them; a most unusual eye color, even for someone like you. And if you don't mind me saying, it seemed to affect both your eyes, even the one you're blind in." Azula asked inquisitively, wanting to know any possible ace Naruto carried about his nonexistent sleeves. Naruto cracked his knuckles again and rested his arms against the back of his head with a smile on his face, and opened his mouth to explain what was most likely to be the first of many explanations.

"When my eyes changed color they utilized a Kekkei Genkai, a bloodline limit that mainly royal families from my time had that they utilized in battle. A bloodline limit is within itself a very thing, I only saw such things only a few times when in my past; the Hyuga and Uchiha Clans were both very famous for their Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan and the Sharingan respectively."

"My Kekkei Genkai is utilized from the blood within my veins that carries connections to the first Rikudo Sannin; the man who I told created what we call the Moon. Somehow or another, I'm related to him; he's many times my great grandfather, which would make sense, considering how I was the called the new Rikudo Sannin near the end of my time."

"The actual name of my bloodline limit is known as the Rinnegan, literally meaning the Samsara Eye. It was said to be the greatest the Three Great Dojutsu, more potent than the Byakugan and more powerful than the Sharingan. A man I knew in my past life once possessed this technique, though when we first met, we were enemies. And then another…man, if you could call him that; had the Rinnegan as well, though he only gained it from stealing one of the eyes of the first man I previously mentioned."

"The Rinnegan allows me to everything for what it is completely, in a way it overrides the blindness in my left eye and grants me temporary sight in it as long as it is active. I could've beaten those would be assassins of ours without using my Rinnegan or any other of my enhancement abilities, but I just wanted to test if it still functioned within my body or not." Naruto said as he finished his longwinded explanation, earning puzzled looks from the Fire Nation girls three. Ty Lee looked the most interested in Naruto's words, staring adamantly at his pale green eye with a look of intrigue. Raising her hand in a somewhat childish notion to ask a question, Naruto perked up and gave her the go ahead to ask away.

Scratching the back of her head for a moment in uncomfortable sense, the acrobat paused for a moment before asking her question. "Um…Naruto? If I may be so bold, what caused you to go blind in your left eye anyway?" Ty Lee attempted to innocently state, but still succeeded in gaining a look of chagrin from both Mai and Azula; much to her initial fears. Grabbing her friend lightly by the arm, Mai sighed in a sense of disappointment. "Ty Lee, those aren't the things you ask a person; no matter how curious you are about the topic. Didn't you consider that might be a bit of a sensitive topic for him?" Mai concluded in an almost secretive manner, Ty Lee's head dropping in a bit of shame as Azula chuckled on the side.

Naruto shook his head while bearing a bit of a chuckle himself, waving his left arm casually at the question. "Girls relax, I knew the question would come up eventually; I have no problem with answering it. It's not really a personal topic for me as it is with other people, who share this similar handicap, just know that I earned this scar a long time ago from a man who put his own ambitions in front of the world. And if it's worth mentioning at all, I'm not blind Ty Lee; I just can't see." The blonde quizzically stated, earning an amused look from both Mai and Azula.

"You sound much like the scholars I've heard about from my home that live in Ba Sing Se; I heard they're a rather petty bunch though, very uptight and not exactly the most cheerful folk." Mai casually commented on the surprisingly spiritual side of her mysterious new ally, Naruto chuckled calmly and retorted the best he could. "Well when you're around a Spirit for so long you tend to get a bit philosophical yourself, though I was unconscious Faust and I could still communicate with one another through our minds; I must say though that I much prefer the company of my fellow humans as opposed to an unearthly presence."

"Anyway, since our cart is totaled and I'm guessing we have about three miles to go in that direction, so how about I just my Jikukan Ido Technique to get us directly to where we're going?" Naruto casually suggested, as Ty Lee held her stomach in what would be preparation for another instant travel experience. Azula sighed and ran her fingers through her hair and joined hands with Naruto once again, as her free hand was taken by Ty Lee and her free hand was taken by Mai just like before.

"The sooner we get to the Fleet the better, Zhao needs to be informed of you; I'm sure our combined abilities will make little work of the Northern Water Tribe." Azula grimly smiled, visualizing the destruction that would take place upon their arrival to the Water peasants' village. She knew that Zhao's fleet was already massive and he could probably take down the Northern Water Tribe on his own, but nevertheless her father had ordered her and her companions to assist in the invasion; and now with such devastating powers found in this mystery youth the battle was almost an assured victory.

"Jikukan Ido."

And with those words, the group of four materialized away into nothing into a far away area in which they found themselves instantly surrounded by dozens of Fire Nations soldiers; to their right lay a great ocean that stood an even greater fleet ready for battle. Many of the soldiers doubled over in shock or in fear at the ghost-like appearance of the four, and many more were humbled that one of the would-be phantoms was none other than Azula herself, the Princess prodigy child of the Fire Nation; daughter to Fire Lord Ozai himself, one of his greatest treasures and proof that his legacy would rule on high.

While many of the soldiers found it customary to bow to the Princess of their Nation, they couldn't help be distracted from such a duty at the sight of a strange looking teenager with thick, long hair whose color matched that of the sun. Many of them entered fighting stances at the mere sight of him, and at least four held spears to the edges of Naruto's neck lest attempt to move.

Before he could retort properly, a rising blue flame from Azula's hand warded of Naruto's would-be attackers. Her eyes and her stance gave an instantly recognizable order to the guards, no words needed to be said to relay her message. They knew full well of Azula's capacity for violence amongst the tales of her bending prowess from a young age, it was obvious the peculiar youth in front of them was obviously of great importance, otherwise Azula would not have defended him so. Even the most rugged of guards firmly backed off and gave a customary bow to Azula and her companions, challenging the Fire Nation's most powerful prodigy was suicide enough, but attempting to deny the will of the Fire Lord's very daughter was comparable to downright insanity.

Making their way past the crowds that quickly parted for them, the Fire Nation Princess found herself at the entry point of a long bridge connected to the ground that led to the flagship of the military leader of the fleet. Two of the guards standing side by side near the ship quickly kowtowed at her presence, one of which Azula looked at directly in the eyes through his thick armor.

"Inform Admiral Zhao of our arrival, and tell him there is a private matter we must discuss about the coming invasion of the Northern Water Tribe; I'm sure he'll want to know that we've just gained the edge in every possible way, and I'm not just talking about myself."

The nervous soldier bowed once more and took off like lightning up the bridge, to which Naruto had to stifle a chuckle at how frightened everyone was of Azula's very presence. Less than a minute later a large humming sound came from the ship; the sound of the Royal Horn, which was a customary tradition that let everyone onboard the ship know that members of the Fire Lord's royal family were coming aboard. All the soldiers outside of the ship who stood and gaped in fear and respect at Azula stood at attention, each drawing a customary salute to Ozai's daughter.

As Azula led her party up the railway to Zhao's ship, she couldn't help but smirk almost evilly. She knew of what the outcome to this battle would've been the same without her presence, but now victory was practically a one hundred percent guarantee.

Now she had an ally whose strength was unlike anything she had ever seen; a man who had lived in an ancient world that far proceeded the Order of the Avatars. A man whose strength and knowledge predated any known historical records, and more importantly, a man whose powers were as unknown as they were destructive; and he would use these powers at a whim and willingly so, a being who possessed near unlimited potential, and wasn't afraid to use it at a moment's notice.

Naruto was no Avatar…he could possibly be something much, much greater.

The Avatars had always been afraid to use their powers to their fullest extent under the notion that power in itself was dangerous and had to be respectfully contained…while Naruto carried no such Code that prohibited him from using his full strength in its entire entirety.

A being whose sheer indomitable might was on their side now, and to make things even better, it was of his choosing to do so.

He had been born in the Fire Nation in a past so ancient that time itself lost history of it, and now he had come to lay waste to his homelands enemies once again; regardless or not if they were the supposed Messiah of the world.

Azula almost bore a glint of sheer malevolent intent in front of those who she crossed within the halls of the ship, filled with emotions of pride and want at the new power she would display to the world; the new strength that would give a further rise to the glory of the Fire Nation, and spell certain doom for all who opposed it, Avatar or not.

The crew finally stopped at the door that led to the bridge of Admiral Zhao, the Princess paused for a moment before clutching its handle.

_I can't until those pathetic Water peasants see what TRUE power is, they have never before seen strength on this magnitude; neither has the entire world witnessed such might for thousands of years.__With my own power and Naruto's ancient strength combined, we can end this pathetic example for a war with one decisive stroke; we can destroy the Avatar here and now.__I can't wait till new of this battle reaches every end of the Four Nations, everyone's perceptions of reality are about to change in every possible way._

_With Zhao and his forces here, this would've been a victory.__With my presence added to this assault, this battle would've been a simple decisive stroke of triumph.__And now, with someone like Naruto here on top of my own abilities….__No…this won't be a battle…__This will be a massacre.__  
___**  
**_**  
*Changes from Naruto Anime/Manga Canon***

**1) Past Naruto is/was a bit more brutal and fearsome than Anime/Manga Naruto is. Akahoshi and Mizuki, the filler villains of their respective Arcs, weren't killed by Naruto in reality; they were just defeated by him. In this Universe, Naruto killed all three and had no regrets about doing so, seeing them both as sick twisted men who would never change their ways, he killed them instead.**

**2) SPOILER ALERT for anyone for out there who hasn't heard, but one of the latest Manga Chapters says that out of all the people in the world, ONLY Uzumaki's have red hair; Karin is shown during the background during this speech, implying she is indeed an Uzumaki, this has been confirmed by Kishi himself.**

**And if I may say so Kishi…WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK? Just because someone has red hair doesn't mean they automatically are related and belong in the same Clan, to me saying that only one type of people in the entire have red hair and that makes them related is pretty frigging stupid. I mean Gaara has red hair and he's not an Uzumaki, and Tayuya technically had red hair since pink is a lighter tone of red; I guess that makes them Uzumaki's too right Kishi?**

**Couplings from the Past Naruto Universe  
-NaruMei  
-NaruTsu  
-NaruHina  
-NaruTema  
-NaruShizuka  
-NaruHotaru  
-NaruHokuto  
-NaruKarin  
-GaaSuri  
-GaaSari  
-LeeSaku  
-NejiTen  
-KakaAyame  
-KakaAnko  
-SaIno  
-ShikaKure  
-KibaKarui  
-IruTsubaki  
-KonoMoe  
-AMabui**

**If it's not already completely obvious, Naruto wishes to side himself with Azula and the Fire Nation SPECIFICALLY due to the fact that Fire Nation was Hi no Kuni in his past, which was his homeland. He both succeeded and failed in protecting it in his past, and now he wants a chance to make up for his semi-failure; that's not too hard to believe is it? Though Naruto is much darker in character to compare with his past self, he still is a "Good" guy; he just does this things that he as his past self would never even consider to get the job done. "Dark" doesn't mean "Evil"; it just means going on a much stricter, colder path to achieve path than a "Good" person would; sacrificing what needs to let go for the greater good but not always looking for the easiest way out in order to solve everyone's problems.**

Tensions between Naruto and how the Fire Nation keeps order will arise in Chapter 7.

Use of the Gedo: Rinne Tensei Jutsu will begin in Chapter 8. 

**Something to be noted is that Naruto isn't always going to rely on his Paths to do things for him, he'll summon them only when he feels that he needs back up; though he can still use his Rinnegan without utilizing the "Forms" or "Modes" are as follows:  
-Tailed Forms ("Zero" Tailed Mode to Nine Tailed Mode)  
-Sage Mode  
-Rinnegan Kekkei Genkai  
-Nine Tails Chakra Mode  
-Enhanced Nine Tails Chakra Mode  
-Tailed Beast Mode**

**The use of the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique will begin in Chapter 8, that's when you'll start seeing people and lovers from Naruto's past. Though not specifically mentioned, I can inform all of you that Naruto's limit when it comes to ressurecting the dead is that he can only bring back ten people at a time with the Gedo: Rinne Tensei Technique, it drains such a massive amount of Chakra (even with his own near limitless quantity of it) that it knocks him out could for at least a , he does NOT need to perform this Jutsu to bring back his Paths, they aren't dead persay, they're just "out of commission" and need to be reactivated through Summoning them.**

**Places/Clans Where Naruto WOULD Have Had Power In Before Everything Went To Shit (None of the marriages ever actually happened due to the destruction of the world, any pairings that aren't related to a royal family are not shown here but they are no less important.)  
-Joint power in Sunagakure due to marrying the sister of the Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara, Temari.  
-Joint rule over Konohagakure following the marriage to the Godaime Hokage, Tsunade Senju. Naruto at the time was considered to be a "Pseudo-Hokage" by Konoha's civilians due to his relationship with Tsunade.  
-Joint rule over Kirigakure following the marriage to the Godaime Mizukage, Mei Terumi. Considered to be a "Pseudo-Mizukage" by Kirigakure's civilian population due to his relationship with Mei.  
-Future Ruler of the Hyuga Clan following the engagement to Hinata Hyuga. Naruto would only become official 'Ruler' of the Clan following the death of Hiashi Hyuga, until that point he would be only known as a strong political power within the Hyuga Clan.  
-Ruler over the Tsuchigumo Clan following the marriage to Utakata's 'servant', Hotaru Tsuchigumo.  
-King over Nadeshiko no Sato following the union to Shizuka, future Queen of Nadeshiko Village.  
-Considered by the Council of Hoshigakure to be elected as the Godaime Hoshikage of their Village following the defeat of their traitorous Yondaime Hoshikage, Akahoshi. The marriage with Hokuto would've most likely cemented Naruto's place of power in Hoshigakure in stone.  
(Karin isn't of a Noble Clan in this fanfic, so she's not included in this section.) And that's about it for Chapter II, what a monster this one was to get through.I'll post Chapter III after enough people have seen this Chapter and commented on what they thought about it; give or take four days and Chapter III will be up. So until then, Adios!  
-TheArkOfAwesome**


	3. Chapter III: Tension

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is a damn shame.**

**And here we are on Chapter 3; I'm already over a hundred pages of typing by now.**

**For this Chapter, Naruto will be personally arriving at the Northern Water Tribe to survey the area. This episode won't be the one where the all-out battle between Zhao's feet and the Water Tribe takes place, that's three** **Chapters away from now.**

**Regardless if its filler or not (judge for yourselves) I deem this necessary for the only fact that I'd actually prefer to have Naruto have at least some interaction and understanding of the Gaang before immediately judging them from what Azula tells her The Avatar represents.**

**I've read a lot of fics (none of them are actually bad mind you) where Naruto meets up with Azula, they meet a mutual understanding of one another, she tells him how the Avatar is bad, and he just goes along with it without any exploration into why the 'rebels' are fighting the Fire Nation to begin with or why Aang has continued his duties after a long 100 year hiatus.**

**Quite simply put, quite a few fics I've read have Naruto just accept Aang is a coward and everyone else outside of the Fire Nation are bad or are not worthy of saving.**

**I'm all for the Dark Naruto approach but there's a line to be drawn from what is Dark and what from is Chaotic Evil; something some of the edgier fics seem to get confused about through Naruto's own character development.**

**Naruto's own love and if you want to call it patriotism for his country call him to defend it once more, something he obviously failed to successfully do in the past; but that's not to say he's eagerly ready to lay waste with any country that disagrees with the Fire Nation. I say this not only due to his ancient ties with many respective lands, but due to the fact that Naruto didn't want to kill people who disagreed or argued with Konoha; he may have fought them, but usually never harbored any intense hatred for them for being 'under him' like Ozai and Azula currently do and did during the actual show.**

**Another familiar concept during the Naruto/ATLA Crossover base (one that I myself am imploring) is that Naruto's world was actually set in the far, far, far, FAR past of ATLA and is old within itself no one remembers it. Along with that trope Naruto is much more powerful than he usually is, but the world he loved is gone either due to the fact he's outlived it through immortality, he was imprisoned and then released, or he was in a coma for a long time after failing to save the world from Madara Uchiha, (I guess I sort of combined ideas two and three).**

**Moreover though I'd like to point a significant plot point my story share in comparison with others is the actual relationship between Naruto and Aang themselves. While Azula has tried casting off Aang immediately as the Fire Nation's enemy which would make him Naruto's enemy, the two do indeed have notable similarities with one another in the concept of fanfiction.**

**1) They were both supposed to be individual Messiah's of their respective worlds; Aang as the Avatar who 'disappeared' 100 years ago and Naruto as the Child of Prophecy during the Shinobi Age more than 5000 years ago.**

**2) Both failed in their respective duties due to different reasons; Aang ran away in fear that he wouldn't be able to hold up to the legacy of the Avatars and Naruto (in my fanfiction anyway) both succeeded and failed to stop Madara Uchiha from taking over the world thousands of years ago.**

**3) Both have been reawakened by a woman from their 'imprisonment'; but both said women are from the polar opposite when it comes to a Countries, Katara from the Water Nation and Azula from the Fire Nation respectively.**

**4) Both are much older than they physically appear; Aang looks like a twelve year old but has been sealed in ice for over 100 Years, Naruto looks like a twenty one year old but has been imprisoned for at least five thousand years. The Shinobi Age, at least in this fanfic predates the current world of ATLA by so far that they are no written records of such a time.**

**As the author I can confirm for the audience that Naruto has been in his coma for approximately 5029 Years, before being sealed away at the time being he was 21. As such his approximate biological age is 5050 while he retains the appearance of his twenty one year old self. It will be made evident how he has not aged significantly or why he don't die any time soon; it isn't any 'immortal' cliché but it has something to do with both Kurama and the Spirit called Faust.**

**5) Both have awoken in a time that far precedes their own time; the worlds of their pasts are more than long gone, Naruto's far more so than Aang's.**

**6) Despite how they both failed to save their worlds which now far lie in the past, both have resolved to try to atone for their failures and make sure that things don't go wrong this time.**

**Despite all these similarities and how each one truly is doing what he thinks is right, Naruto is more-or-less an "Anti-Aang."**

**Due to the fact that he is far older in Aang even before he was sealed away he has a much better understanding of how the world actually works and know that things are not always what they appear; that people can lie to one another as easily as taking a step forward, that some people can't be dissuaded from the paths they take, and that those ambitions place the world in danger must be stopped, no matter the cost.**

**For example, my Naruto has learned that even the people most precious to you can betray you, and if they're actions endanger the world as a whole; you can't hesitate to strike them down to maintain peace. Aang on the other hand would struggle with the means to take a person's life no matter how vile or detestable they are; this is an exploitable weakness that anyone could use to their advantage, and this makes Aang a much more flawed hero than it does Naruto due to the fact he truly isn't willing to do anything 'immoral' to save the world.**

**I could argue with self-righteous people for hours about such philosophy, but for me, it just comes down to the facts, no matter how brutal or harsh they may be. Sometimes you have to make the choices in life other people are too afraid to make due to the fact they are held back by their own values; it's important not to lose sight of yourself and what you believe in, but it's even more important that your own beliefs do not hinder the entire future within itself just because you were afraid to do what was necessary.**

**For example, if you had the chance to kill a rapist who had been let go at least twice and continued to commit his crimes, would you? If you give him the chance to live again, he could easily commit the same atrocities as easily as he did before; he could lie to you as easily as he lied to the others before you who gave him the same exact mercy. Or do you kill him, and live with knowing you've taken a life, but know that the misdeeds he forcefully wrought upon others is forever silenced?**

**For some, the choice is clouded; for me, it is more than clear.**

**And even more people would say to me I take his life I am "no better a person than he is."**

**Wrong.**

**If I take the life of a murderer who kills simply to relish his sick pleasure of innocent bloodshed, am I to be classified as the same type of person for ending his reign of violence?**

**A woman who kills a man who has killed her child is not even close to being on the same level as him, she has merely avenged the unjustified and unlawful death of her own kin; and therefore, not a murderer.**

**I'd rather not want to get on a philosophical debate though, I'd much rather address some of the core complaints I've recieved about how I portray the story itself.**

**1) _Quite a few people found Naruto's recollection of how originally met his future and wives and how their unions (which never actually occurred) came to be too long, clustered and boring._**

**Response: I'll agree that it was very boring to write such a long string of flashbacks, nearly falling asleep at my chair once out of exhaustion, but I deem it neccessary. In retrospect though, I _probably _should've spaced it out a bit more than having it just be one long string of flashbacks. My bad guys, my bad; I'll try to make sure nothing like that (an enormous set of flashbacks) happens in the future.**

**2) _Others complained that there are too many paragraphs for talking/thoughts etc._**

**Response: I can also acknowledge this as one of my flaws as I writer, but please understand this is how I learned to write; I don't know necessarily know how to write a story in any other way. When I was in school this is how I was taught to write an essay, I know an essay isn't exactly a story mind you but this is the closest thing I know how to utilize in reassemblence. I'm going to be at least _attempting _to space things out more to make sure the story isn't so cluttered; it'll just be a bit of a challenge for me that's all.**

**3) _A__nd then, in the very first part, you just revealed pretty much every secret naruto has to offer.-Lord Blood.  
_**  
**Response: In truth, Naruto has displayed and told a great many things of what he can do to Azula and her friends, but he didn't necessarily tell EVERYTHING. Yes, he told of the Kyuubi, the Rinnegan, the Gedo Rinne: Tensei Technique, the Jikudan Ido Technique, his control over Elements they don't know of and his even his multiple wives, but he didn't tell them a great amount of other things.**

**He never spoke of how he can utilize the Kyuubi's Chakra to form Tailed Modes, the Tailed Beast/Biju Modes, The Nine Tails Chakra Mode or the Sage Mode. There's also the fact that in Chapter II he displayed a VERY limited amount of Jutsu's he is capable of performing, they've barely a seen a fraction of what he can do.**

**Naruto also never told them how exactly he was both the reason the world ended and it's savior at the same time, something I don't intend to have him reveal until Chapter 12. He may drop hints here and there but most of it will just be fan speculation until then.**

**4) _One reviewer named Skelo questioned why Naruto was eventually going to have a full-scale conflict with the Fire Nation's policies._**

**Response: I never said Naruto was going to go to war with the Fire Nation upon learning of their methods and tactics which would displease him, I simply said that tension was going to rise between Naruto and with what his home has become and how they intend to employ "peace." Remember that Azula has only told Naruto of how the Avatar (Aang) and those who support him and defy the Fire Nation's rule are "Bad"; she never mentioned anything about the Fire Nation's own faults.**

**When Naruto eventually DOES see how the Fire Nation maintains order, "keeps the peace" and how it intends to unite the world, he'll have more than a fair share to say about it. It doesn't mean he's going to side with the Avatar, but try to change the Fire Nation from within. In fact, Ozai and Naruto have a similar goal in mind but have different opinions on how to attain it; Naruto wants to maintain peace between the Nations of the new world through uniting them as one, while Ozai too wants to unite the world but through a militarisitic, dictatorship instead where the Fire Nation rules supreme over all said other Nations.**

**It's basically the Naruto/Madara conflict but with being set in a new world**

_**5) Activating his Rinnegan, the one good eye of the Sage turned into swirling fixture of violet, adamantly concentrated to the inevitable battle before. The trio of ladies looked quite surprised at the power he had displayed, and were now distracted by the fact that both of his eyes were now a context of purple swirls. So, it's one eye with the Rinnengan, or it's both of them?-ChaosRune.**_

**Response: Naruto is blind in his left eye and his only functioning eye is his right, what was put down was a spelling error; only his right eye possess the Rinnegan due to the fact he's blind in the other. From what I know Kekkei Genkai don't function if the respective eye their instilled isn't working. I apologize for the confusion as well as the spelling error transition, and I also appreciate your criticism ChaosRune, its facts like yours that help me seek to fix my mistakes in the future and become a better writer/author.**

**Guys, I recognize I'm not exactly the perfect Author, and granted alot of these points due have merit that I'm not exactly trying to make excuses for, but please, try to understand I'm giving it my best shot.**

**Yes, I know I keep mistakes here and there, and I'll try to fix them, only to make more mistakes along the way, but isn't that how fanfiction works? Trial and error?**

**So far I haven't seen any reviews that outright state that my 'story blows donkey nads' or anything like that; and I'd prefer to keep it that way mind you, I'd just like to ensure that all of you know I'm giving this tale my complete devotion and every single fiber of effort I have in me to keep it going.**

**And as for that HATED new rule (YOU ALL KNOW WHAT IT IS), this has put a bit of a dampen on the contents of my story. Granted the story wasn't going to be bursting with Lemons persay but there would've been a few at least.**

**I'm more or less being forced to comply with the "new rule" of until they decide to finally make an MA Rating (if they ever do.)**

**That means any "Lemons" I had in mind are thrown out the window and I'm toning them down a bit to "Lime", smexy Lime I may add, but Lime all the same.**

**I don't want to make anything fullblown at this point that would get story screwed over like so many other thousands of tales, so until finally decides to get some common sense and apply an MA Rating whenever a certain "something" happens it'll be only Lime, not Lemon.**

**"Unleash Your Imagination"...to a certain extent, am I right fellas?**

***Key*  
**"Talking"  
_Thinking  
_**"Kyuubi Talking"  
**_**Kyuubi Thinking**_

***Japanese Key*  
Oji-san=Old man.  
Hime=Princess.  
Teme=Bastard.  
Sosofu=Great grandfather.  
Daimyo=Feudal Lord.  
****Ero-Sannin=Pervy Sage. ****  
Kyuubi no Kitsune=Nine Tailed Fox.  
Ja Ne=A shortened version of "See you later", usually translates to "see you/ya."  
Hi no Kuni=Land of Fire.  
****Kirroi Senko=Yellow Flash.  
Shinobi no Kami=God of Shinobi.  
Sandaime Hokage=Third Hokage.****  
****Juryoku sutairu Jutsu: Taimuzufifutin atsuryoku=Gravity Style Jutsu: Time Fifteen Pressure.  
Juryoku sutairu Jutsu: Zeropuressha=Gravity Style Jutsu: Zero Pressure.  
Juryoku sutairu Jutsu: Seijo-ka****=Gravity Style Jutsu: Normalcy.  
****Gedo: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu=Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.  
Sution: Akuabureido Jutsu=Water Style: Aqua Blade Jutsu.**

**VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: I actually had to split this Chapter into two seperate parts; one half as Chapter 3 and the next half as Chapter 4. The document was so large couldn't process it properly and it when it finally did it the writing was all screwed up...so expect Chapter 4 sooner than expected since I literally had to cut this Chapter down the middle.  
_**

Naruto walked down the looming hallways of the ship, the last in line of the group of five, with a stray guard leading Azula who was second in line to the bridge where the Admiral Zhao lay in eager wait for her arrival. The halls seemed endless to Naruto, every going forward and seemingly never ending, only to find one ending lead the beginning of yet another hallway. A maze made of steel, a labyrinth of iron made to float on the open sea.

The pathways seemed press upon, shutting him in almost; slowly approaching with a malevolent intent to smother him. He knew full well that the arts of Genjutsu had long since been lost to the world he knew; and that no Shinobi trickery was casting the illusions he felt in the recess of his mind; his own worst enemy was himself. He had been on a ship before, but never one as large as the one he had now boarded.

Whether it was the claustrophobic environment within itself or his anxiety at beginning his new life that stirred his emotions was unclear, but whatever the case he would continue amongst these steel paths as long as he had the strength to.

Another minute passed before they reached their goal, a bead of sweat noticeably shimmering down the side of Naruto's forehead in anticipation. Their path finally stopped at a steel door, which the soldier gracefully opened and held open for Azula and her party. After a brief stride, the Fire Princess and her companions found themselves in the room of a rather large command center for the ship. It was much more spacious than the narrow hallways that they had treaded beforehand, a perfect military checkpoint for overseeing a battle.

The man at the front turned ever so slightly to see who had entered his den, only to turn full force when he saw the briefest glimpse of his Highness; he then have a customary bow in respect to the prodigy daughter of the Fire Lord himself.

The man before them was rugged in stature, wearing a military outfit that obviously befitted a role of importance and had a sense of indomitability to it. The top of his hair was in a bun, while the rest of it seemed to trace off into massive sideburns that adorned each side of his face. His eyes looked determined and fierce; a strong chin accompanied by an almost sadistic grin showed that this man meant business.

He seemed to give a double take in Naruto's direction, as hazel eyes met an azure eye accompanied by a pale green one, the blue sphere shone with an almost animalistic slit to it. This man stared at Naruto for little more than five seconds in curiosity, but then he quickly readdressed his interest to his Princess before him.

"Princess Azula, welcome the Fire Nation Fleet. It is honor to have the prodigy child for Fire Lord Ozai aboard my vessel. I must admit you have arrived earlier than expected, not that that is an inconvenience of course; I assume your trip went swiftly?" The Admiral commented, earning a small smirk from Azula and her friends in response. Even Naruto couldn't help but let out a small smile, knowing full well that Azula's trip had been far from 'normal.'

"We ran into some complications, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. If anything, the delay we encountered uncovered something most…interesting. Admiral Zhao, I'd like you to meet my newest companion and possibly the greatest ally to the Fire Nation, this is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze; he will be a great edition for us to have on our raid on the Northern Water Tribe." Azula announced proudly, as the long golden haired boy stepped fully into the fray to meet the Admiral.

They stared at each other for a moment or two, Zhao looking down the newcomer from top to bottom with almost inspecting eyes. Naruto stood still as a statue, not wanting to offend the military leader with any offbeat movement.

"I hope you take no offense to this boy, but you stand out like a sore thumb; your attire and most certainly your hair certainly mark you with a unique presence if I do say so myself. Tell me boy, where do you come from? You certainly do not look like a resident of the Fire Nation, and your clothes bare no clear resemblance in affiliation to any of the other three Nations." Zhao output casually, not once addressing Naruto by his name in the process.

Naruto was slightly annoyed at being called a 'boy'; he was far the past the age of a prepubescent stature, and there was of course the further irony that he was thousands of years older than the man who addressed him as a 'boy. The Sage chose to hide his slight irritation however, instead maintain a small smile that hid any ill will.

Ty Lee went to open her mouth but her maw was quickly covered by Mai's right hand as a muffled string of sentences whispered their way out of the cracks between Mai's fingers. An eyebrow of Zhao's raised in confusion, only to have Azula step forward and address the situation.

"Admiral Zhao, the matter of how I met Naruto and where he's from is…complicated, to say the least. For now, you'll just have to take my word that Naruto is indeed a powerful ally to be had; these words come from the prodigy child of the Fire Lord, you need not doubt them. He has abilities and powers I have never witnessed before, he has done things I thought not possible; even in regards to an Avatar." Azula calmly claimed, earning a look of piqued curiosity from Zhao who looked at Naruto with much interest. He cupped his chin with his left hand, only for a moment of thought before he respectfully replied?

"Indeed? The Princess Prodigy of the Fire Nation gives her support to this strange newcomer? I am not one to doubt the royal family's will Ancestor's be praised, however, you would not be offended if I said your claims were just a bit superstitious, my Princess. If this man is to be such an important asset to this battle as you claim, I respectfully ask of him to show me some of these powers of yours that even you have not seen before, your Highness."

"After all, if this man is to be our newfound ally, I must see at least a fragment of his abilities firsthand. I do not doubt your words Princess Azula, but I must see at least a portion of it for myself." Zhao concluded, drawing small glare from Azula in the process; something Mai and Ty Lee couldn't help but back up a few paces upon seeing.

Zhao wasn't meaning to sound disrespectful, he implored more than enough that he meant the utmost respect for Azula's reverence; but questioning the royal in any way was often looked upon as heresy by the people of the Fire Nation.

Naruto smirked casually, his fingers moving like spiders in preparation for what he was about to do. If the Admiral wanted a small display of power, he would get it; but since he didn't specify about he wanted it, the next move would be all the more satisfying.

Performing a few hand signals in front of the group, Naruto extended his right palm openly at Zhao after the signs were performed; causing Zhao to back up a bit in anticipation. But no matter how he prepared himself, the Admiral would've never known what would come next.

"Juryoku sutairu Jutsu: Taimuzufifutin atsuryoku."

And with those simple words Zhao literally plummeted to the steel form below, an elicit gasp of surprise escaped the mouth of Ty Lee, while Azula and Mai watched in amazement as the Admiral lay completely down the floor; not even on his knees, but like he had just lied down for a rest. The same thing occurred to all the fellow soldiers stationed in the same direction of the room where Zhao now lay on the floor, they too hit the ground faster than anyone ever could've thought possible.

Many of the soldiers panicked, while Zhao was trying to force himself up; but to no avail. His muscles strained under an invisible force, he couldn't bring himself to his knees let alone stand. After a minute or two of pointless struggling that amused Azula has she held back a cruel snicker, he finally had the strength to speak again.

"W-W-W-What d-did you d-do boy? I c-c-can't move an inch of m-my body…nothing's r-r-responding like it should…"

Naruto rolled his eyes as he prepared to blow Zhao's mind and understanding of power.

"If I may interject Admiral, what I did was simply increase the gravity of your side of the premises by fifteen times; what you and some of your crew are now experiencing is fifteen times the normal gravity of Earth, if I applied anymore pressure all of you might spontaneously combust." Naruto smirked, earning a grim smirk from Azula and the widened eyes of Mai and Ty Lee. Some of the soldiers started struggling even more so due to Naruto's explanation, desperately seeking a way off the ground, to which Naruto could only shrug at their ignorance.

"B-B-B-But…how can one side of the r-r-room be fifteen t-times the gravity of the other s-side of the r-room? That d-d-defies the L-l-laws of P-physics!"

"I have control over what is unnatural in the eyes of your people Admiral Zhao; reality is mine to bend as I see fit, I have the power to make nearly anything I want possible. For example…"

"Juryoku sutairu Jutsu: Zeropuressha."

And then what was little more than an instant, Zhao and his men literally began to float in the air, with even less control than they had before. None of them could properly stay on the ground without floating onto the ceiling or bumping into one another, to Ty Lee it was like a constant airborne circus, something the acrobat was deeply amused and intrigued by.

Zhao on the other hand, was not amused. As he tried to regain his footing and remarkably failed at each and every attempt he couldn't help but snort in frustration at the powers this boy was capable of invoking. He expected a show of power to be sure but what he and his men were experiencing now was almost supernatural.

"And now I've merely turned off the gravity on your side of the room; I can't imagine any of you can gain a foothold now due to any force of pressure literally being removed. What you're experiencing now is what Outer Space is like…there's no gravity there, it's like being a Superhero 24/7 up there!" Naruto exclaimed in an almost nostalgically childish fashion, earning very confused looks from literally everyone in the room.

"You cannot be serious; what you're doing now is completely unheard of in any Fire Nation text, and now you honestly expect me to believe that you've surpassed the Heavens themselves and traveled beyond the very stars?" Zhao practically grumbled, still failing to return to the ground in possibly the most awkward of ways.

Naruto just shrugged and grinned at Zhao's challenge, ready to humble him once more.

"I've just turned your world upside down Zhao, literally. I'm showing I clearly possess abilities you, and most likely no one for the past thousands of years, has ever seen. Given what I'm showing you now, do you doubt I could make it to Outer Space? The only un-fun part about Space is that there's no air, so you'll intestines will implode from the inside in a matter of seconds if you aren't like me, which sucks for you because you can never go into Space like I can." Naruto finished explaining, while Zhao just looked at the boy questioning if he was actually telling the truth or if he was an escapee from a local asylum.

"Anyway, time to have you back on the ground now, Juryoku sutairu Jutsu: Seijo-ka." Naruto stated after performing a small number of hand seals, which sent Zhao and his men plummeting into the floor, much to Ty Lee's amusement as the acrobat burst out in laughter while Azula stifled a chuckle.

Zhao growled lowly in irritation as he and his fellows tried to regain their footing, stumbling a few times in the process as their balance returned; such constant adverse changes in the their central gravity had taken a slight on their sense of perspective. Dusting himself off from the small amount of dirt that littered the steel floor, Zhao looked at Naruto with a sense of not only respect, but perhaps at what hinted at as a bit of jealousy and maybe even anger.

"It would seem her Highness's claims are not in the least exaggerated, boy. Your powers are quite unique…I have never seen talents before in all my years in the military, nor have I even heard of them. You speak a language I've never heard before as well, this implies that you are indeed a foreigner; but regardless of your affiliation what strange land you come from, as long her royal Highness Azula regard as such an important asset I will not question your being here." Zhao stated officially in a somewhat respectful tone, he refused to address Naruto by his name, but he had clearly learned that Naruto's powers were indeed as powerful as they were mysterious.

"Your Highness, if we maintain our current schedule we will arrive at the Northern Water Tribe in the next two and a half days. Our fleet has gathered itself to its maximum percentage; every ship and frigate is ready for battle." Zhao commented in an almost gruff sounding voice, a small indication of bloodlust evident in his voice.

"Excellent work Admiral, signal for the fleet that we're ready to cast off ASAP. I trust our quarters are ready for arrival?" Azula said.

"Of course your Excellency, I had them prepared for only the most noble of commendations, it's one hall down from where we are now." Zhao stated with a wide smile across his face, hoping to gain some brownie points by treating the daughter of his Fire Lord with the same accommodations she was given in her castle.

Ty Lee and Mai looked at Naruto with a look of question and possible concern, to which he merely shrugged.

"Um...Mister Zhao? Where will Naruto be staying? He is within our company after all; shouldn't he get a room too?" Ty Lee questioned, hoping not to offend Azula by possibly speaking out of line. Before Zhao could retort, Azula spoke up to answer her question.

"Naruto can sleep in the same room as us Ty Lee; I'll have the Admiral prepare for an additional bed to be brought into our quarters. That won't be a problem now, will it Admiral?" Azula questioned in an almost demanding tone, having Zhao tug against his neck tie area in while he cleared his throat.

"O-of course not your Highness, I will be sure it is done at once. This boy has displayed the remarkable powers that I now see will be a great asset to the upcoming battle, we need not have him share the same accompaniment as common foot soldiers." Zhao responded.

"Oh, and Admiral? Please call Naruto by his name, he clearly deserves at least some method of respect from you; he is clearly a man, not a boy like Zuzu." Azula said with a hint of respect for the golden haired Sage evident in her voice, to which Naruto couldn't help but lightly smile that the royalty of this time was already giving him a bit of respect. He noticed Mai fidget slightly at the name of 'Zuzu'; something he would question her about later.

"Y-yes, of course your Highness. If you wish Naruto to accompany your quarters, I have no right to question it." Zhao said.

"Good. Now then, if you need to speak with any of us Admiral, we'll be in our quarters." Azula said calmly as she turned to leave, her companions including Naruto had already turned to leave and were practically walking down the hallway now. As Azula entered the doorframe, a small cough from Zhao stopped her.

"Yes, Admiral?"

"Your Highness, now that we are alone I feel more comfortable to speaking with you. With all due respect, you have not mentioned on how you or your companions met…Naruto, to begin with. His abilities that you have witnessed while I thought to be merely an exaggeration have been proven real, as mysterious and powerful as they are. While I should not have doubted your reverence for his strengths, you will forgive me if I question whether or not he is our ally." Zhao stated with a tone of authority, Azula's eyes squinted in a small amount of anger even as her back faced the Admiral.

"He is clearly a foreigner who wishes to serve our great Nation, while this is the first step of what the Fire Nation hopes to accomplish, to have all the other Nations bend to us; is it really wise to accept him so freely despite his abilities? He looks nothing like any resident of any Nation I've ever seen; the way he dresses himself accompanied by that long, flowing golden hair of his make him stand out like a sore thumb amongst any 'normal' people."

"How can we be sure he is even a resident of any of the bordering Nations at all? Perhaps he is from a foreign yet to be explored; he could be the first of many from a native land lying in wait to declare war on us when we are most vulnerable. And even if he is from one of the other Nations, what's to say he won't betray us from the inside once he has our trust?" The Admiral finished, while Azula lightly clamped her hands in frustration.

"Admiral?"

"Yes, your Highness?"

"Naruto is to be respected as not only a member of this ship, but as one of my companions and as an ally to this Nation. He holds many secrets within him that will grant great honor, good fortune and endless power to the Fire Nation; I will not have such an advantage swindled by jealousy and suspicion, do I make myself clear?"

"Y-y-yes…your Highness."

"I will explain the origins of how I met Naruto and where he is truly from after our victory over the Northern Water Tribe, until then you are to not question him in any way."

"O-of course…your Highness."

"If you have need me of Admiral, I will be in my quarters accompanied by fellows."

Azula calmly walked out of the room afterwards, calmly shutting the door behind her. She couldn't help but smirk as she left and wandered down the hall, getting under people's skin was ever so satisfying. It was even better when they were of a so-called 'importance'; and yet they couldn't do anything her due to her station.

Zhao on the other hand was less than pleased. As soon as he was sure Azula wasn't close enough to hear, he huffed in audible frustration; a small fire growing in his hands out of irritation for the scenario that had confronted him.

_Hrrgh...This is more than annoying._

_After so long of trying to prove myself to his Majesty, I finally have the chance to stand beside the Princess of our great Nation, the prodigy child of the Fire Lord Ozai himself. A chance to bask one of the greatest victories our Nation has yet to have against those Water Tribe animals, an opportunity to show the ingenious, cunning and brutality of our resolve._

_And then, the people would talk of how Admiral Zhao and Princess Azula led the charge on that fateful day; and how we would emerge as heroes from the wreckage in the eyes our people, and how I would be personally rewarded by his Majesty himself._

_And now…this._

_Right when I have the opportunity to redeem myself for my failures over letting the Avatar escape again and again, and to bring honor and glory to my people, an outsider steps into the fray._

_This boy, whether he has the approval of Princess Azula or not, is very, very dangerous. The abilities he just displayed to me are unlike any type of bending I have ever seen or heard of before; and I doubt that he showed me even the minimal amount of what he can truly do._

_Not only is he a potential threat to the Fire Nation, but he marches aboard my vessel with the approval of the Fire Lord's daughter, humbles my men and I with unknown powers and will be taking part in a battle that was supposed to my defining moment of glory._

_If he can prove himself of use to this battle than I will be willing to accept that, but he will not steal the honor and privilege being the deciding factor of this battle; that right belong solely to her Highness and I._

_Not only will that day be a great victory for the Fire Nation, but it will also result in the destruction of the Northern Water Tribe; a symbol to all who would defy the Fire Nation of our path to greatness._

_And most importantly above everything, there will be cheers across the Capital as the rest of the world cries out in despair that the Avatar has fallen at long last; and that wretched legacy of altruistic defenders will have finally ended._

_The people of the Fire Nation will forever tell tales about the Admiral named Zhao, the man who dealt the killing blow to the Avatar in his last waking moments._

_I will be known as both a Hero and a Champion of this great Nation, and his Majesty will finally see me in the light I was born to be in. And best of all, that sniveling disgrace of a son of his will be brought to the stage on his final failure._

_With the Avatar dead at my hands, Zuko will never have the chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the nobles or more importantly his Majesty; I will be the Hero Champion of the Fire Nation alongside the mighty prodigy Princess Azula._

_And no one, especially not some sun-haired teenager will steal this honor from me._

_It would be quite a tragedy if an 'accident' were to befall him during the battle…_

_We shall see what opportunities time brings..._  
___

Meanwhile, Azula and her companions had made themselves comfortable at their quarters. The room was much like how Azula had remembered her quarters back at the palace; Zhao had not exaggerated in his claims about making her feel at home. It looked as if the room had been decorated for noble accompaniment, filled with the finest room décor fit for royal blood as well as any they wished to accompany them.

A small desk and accompanied by large mirror sat to the left side of the room, complete with a stool so anyone could address their looks in the ways that they wanted. A large bed near the middle to back of the room decorated with the same furnishings of Azula's resting place at her home laid suitably down for her to rest. Since the bed was so large and the room itself was rather compact, Azula had agreed with Ty Lee's statement that the girls could sleep together in the same mattress.

While a seemingly intimate notion, Azula looked upon sharing her resting place with her friends as little more than courtesy. Even though she would never admit, she highly revered both Ty Lee and Mai as the only two people she could really connect with; she just could never click with anyone on the outside world or in her father's court.

Ty Lee saw the bed sharing event reminiscent of the slumber parties they used to have when they were little, and snuggling with Azula always made her feel warm inside. While Mai had grown used to sharing a bed with her friends, since they were considerably older now she felt the act was more intimate than it let on. She only prayed that Naruto wasn't a pervert who would try to take advantage of the situation; if he did she was ready to lodge a knife in between his legs to make her point.

Naruto's bed had already been dragged in swiftly by two accompanying soldiers, who left in the right side corner of the room with as much distance from Azula's bed as possible. It was not as royal as what Azula and her friends had been given, but it was of much better stature and condition than what the common soldiers were given.

The young Sage entered the room with a small smile on his face, taking around the surroundings of his quarters. Mai sat on the stool and laid her back against the desk, Azula sat comfortably on her bed and Ty Lee was meditating at the end of the mattress.

"I'm surprised even with you authority Azula-hime that you managed to get Admiral Zhao to agree letting me share the same quarters as you and your friends, I'd thought he'd be a little bit more…protective, that's all." Naruto chuckled nervously, as Azula gave him a small questioning look.

"What do you mean by that Naruto? What exactly are you trying to imply?"

"Well…erm…how do I say this without offending you…" Naruto quipped as he scratched the back of his head trying to find a way to explain the situation without having a foot end up in his groin. It didn't take Azula long to get the picture however, as a small blush creeped across her face; Ty Lee and Mai, who had been listening in, couldn't help but blush as well.

"Just because you're in a room with three girls, don't get any ideas out of it Naruto." Mai commented with a cold tone, making Naruto gulp in a tad bit of fear. He knew pissing off a female, young or old, was always in an incredibly foolish idea. And to have to share a room with three of them could be more of a curse than an envisioned godsend.

Even though his former Sensei was quite the pervert and would most likely try to take advantage of the situation, Naruto knew that for his general safety he would keep his hands to himself; lest he lose his manhood, end up a burn corpse and be thrown overboard to the passing sharks.

Azula coughed lightly to break up the tension, clearing her throat to speak again. "Even if Zhao disapproved of the four being together in the same room, he couldn't do much about it to begin with; I'm the daughter of the Fire Lord, he's only a Fleet Admiral. Plus, even if you were…involved, with any us, Zhao really wouldn't have a say in any of it anyway." Azula commented casually, trying to hide her light blush about the thought of more primeval, carnal actions.

"Um…Azula? Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Naruto asked politely.

"I don't see the harm in it, so ask away."

"Who's Zuzu?"

There was a small silence that overtook the group, with Azula bearing an almost sadistic smirk as Ty Lee grinned wildly. Mai was trying to hide an evident smile and maybe a small blush, something Naruto had noticed. He scratched the back of his awkwardly as he sat down on his bad, wondering if he had stumbled on a bad topic.

"Zuzu…or rather Zuko, is the son to the Fire Lord Ozai and my older brother; though by how far fate has separated our paths I daresay we aren't related at all." Azula practically chuckled, earning a puzzled look from Naruto.

"You see Naruto, Zuzu is what we call the 'runt of the litter.' Even though he's my older brother and was born before and even has a higher claim to the throne, he's an absolute disgrace to my family. He's soft, gentle and fragile; his firebending skills are only of average skill, while I was born a prodigy. Do you know how disgraced my father felt when he learned his eldest child had such little potential? And then one day, my brother crossed the line and dishonored my father in his own throne room; he learned his lesson that day, he never forgot never to cross our father ever again." Azula noted darkly, something Ty Lee shivered at and Mai couldn't help but wince at. Naruto was oblivious to what this prince had suffered, and decided to let his curiosity take over.

"How was he punished exactly, Azula-hime? In my time when a Ninja dishonored his or her Village to a heavy extent they would be exiled from said Village; an Ex-Nin is looked upon as an embodiment of dishonor and shame." Naruto commented, earning small smirk from Azula in the process.

"Well, it is apparent your people or rather my great Ancestors were as wise then as they are now. Zuko was not only struck by father to forever scar him as a mark of his failure, but he was exiled from the Fire Nation as a whole as a reminder of his weakness. He was never to return to his homeland unless he found a way to redeem himself in the eyes of our father, now that the Avatar has appeared; the Fire Lord has learned that Zuzu has attempted many times to either capture or kill him to regain his honor." Azula sighed, stroking her fingers through her way before continuing on.

"Though not to my surprise, Zuko has failed over and over and over to catch the Avatar; even when he has come close to getting him he still manages to screw it up. It's become evident to my father that Zuko is what I said he always was; nothing but a failure. Even Admiral Zhao, the Fleet Commander of the Fire Nation's flotilla has failed in his attempts to capture this Avatar almost as many times as Zuzu; that's why my father dispatched my friends and I to assist Zhao in this campaign to destroy the Northern Water Tribe and capture or destroy the Avatar." Azula finished in an adamant tone, as a small smile traced across Naruto's lips.

"And then you found me…" Naruto added softly, as Ty Lee's eyes perked up.

"Yeah, then we found you, and I'm starting to feel pretty glad that we did. You were down there for like forever, and it looked really painful how you tied up. And now you have the chance to live your life again, and this time, you have us friends from the get go!" Ty Lee added in her usual optimistic, cheerful note. Mai couldn't help but roll her eyes as Azula chuckled softly.

"Yes, I am glad to have such a warm welcome to this new world, Ty-chan. I never had many friends until much later in my life, and then I awake into this new world to find that I have friends from the very beginning; it's almost a little unnerving." Naruto replied happily, making Ty Lee's grin grow wider in the process.

"You say your brother Zuko is not only a disgrace to your family line, but a 'failure' compared to you in the art of Firebending as well. Forgive my possible insubordination my Hime, but I wish to meet him myself before I make such judgments." Naruto quipped in almost stern tone, earning a bemused smile from Azula and a surprised look from both Mai and Ty Lee. Not many people would stand up to Azula in any form at all, to see someone even attempt such a feat was a rarity within itself.

"Do you doubt what I say is true, Naruto? After all, we are allies are we not?" Azula remarked.

"Of course we are my Hime, we are allies, and more importantly, we are friends. However, as I mentioned beforehand, I need to meet your brother myself before I make such judgments about him. I was once considered a failure myself as were many people I once knew; but we strived to be more than what others saw us as, and in the end, we accomplished being so much more than what we ever thought we could be." Naruto replied, earning a questioning look from Azula for his reasons.

"You were considered a failure Naruto? I doubt that, your abilities are unique as they are powerful; such strength demands respect." Stated the Fire Princess. Naruto chuckled softly in response, looking at his Princess with his one good eye.

"You'd be surprised Azula, at a time in my life I was little more than a mischievous child with hardly any potential. I was more of a prankster than I was a prodigy, something you apparently had; or rather have the luxury of being. My abilities were petty and my strength was poor; but I worked to become the man I am today, and now my power shines brighter than ever." Naruto replied strongly, earning small smiles from all the females in the group. The Sage chuckled once more, recalling something from his past life.

"When I think about it now Azula, it's actually pretty funny. If I had concentrated hard enough earlier in my youth, perhaps I could've prevented the disaster that accompanied my past; I could've been better prepared for the man who threatened to destroy the world and make it his own. But my time in the past is done, I can only look towards the future now; I may have failed then, but I will NOT fail now." Naruto replied in a fiercely determined voice, startling the females a bit with his strong outburst of bravado.

"Your determination is admirable, Naruto. I can respect that in a man that he follows what he believes in; no matter where his path may take him. It is the trait of fools, but sometimes that of the occasional hero." Mai remarked, earning a small smirk from Ty Lee.

"I never knew you were so poetic Mai, I never figured for the time to be into that kind of stuff. Usually your aura is kind of…bland." Ty Lee stated in a somewhat nervous tone, scratching the back of her head as she struggled to find the words describe her friend's demeanor without insulting her. Mai shot a small glare her way, while a bemused Azula and Naruto chuckled softly at Ty Lee's innocence.

"Trust me Ty Lee, when you're surrounded by nothing but a bunch of old fools arguing in a courtroom over who has the right to lay claim to a water mill but hundreds of years ago, there's really nothing to do but read." Mai quipped in an almost dry tone, earning a sympathetic look from Naruto.

Before anyone could decide on what to say next, Naruto noticed that a certain pink acrobat had been fiddling with her fingers for a while; not unlike a certain Hyuga had come to love too little too late. It had become increasingly obvious that she had a question for him, but was either too nervous to ask or didn't want to sound intrusive and wanted to relay it in a more appropriate manner.

"Um…Naruto? Can I ask you a question? I mean, if that's okay with you that is." Ty Lee nervously chuckled, earning questioning looks from her friends while Naruto merely rolled his eyes in response. He had a feeling what her question was going to be, he knew it was only a matter of time before someone from the current world asked him about it.

"Let me guess what you're question is Ty-chan…is it if I have had girlfriend in my past life?" Naruto grinned adamantly, the uppity gymnast blushing a noticeable pink in response. Mai merely face palmed while Azula rolled her eyes at Ty Lee's typical behavior; the Fire Princess was actually surprised she hadn't asked the young Sage sooner.

"How did you know I was going to ask you that? You can't read minds can you?" Ty Lee stated in a sarcastic notion, earning a bemused look from Naruto; which had the trio of females almost gaping.

"You're kidding…please tell me you're kidding." Ty Lee said almost nervously, knowing full well that if she ever had any perverted thoughts about any scenario that he could possibly know full well the extent of her feelings.

"I can't read people's minds fully if that's what you're asking, only partially. My training as a Sage later opened up certain doors for me that allows me to read people's minds only a subconscious level; meaning I can get the gist of what a person is thinking, but not in complete detail." Naruto explained, earning an astonished look from Ty Lee and Azula, while Mai couldn't help but smirk.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Mai practically chuckled, which Naruto let out a hearty laugh in response to.

"Come to think of it Mai-chan, there's not much I really can't do. I'm pretty savvy in the arts of carpentry and blacksmithing, and I can sing and play instruments pretty well. Not to mention I learned how to cook to what I'd say is a pretty damn good mastery over it." Naruto replied honestly, to which Mai rolled her eyes humorously in response to the newfound 'Wonder Boy' she and her friends had come across.

"And then there's the fact that I can over time I actually mastered the art of flight itself; let me tell ya, it was pain in the ass how to figure out, I still can't fly at leisure though. Flying takes up a lot of my energy, leaves me vulnerable for a bit after I descend. I remember the first time I thought I mastered it, I flew so high I actually went through the atmosphere and ended up in space." Naruto heartily chuckled, earning shocked expressions from the group of girls. They had been present when he had mentioned he went to a place beyond the stars before, but it was hard to tell then whether he was telling the truth or just bluffing to make Zhao feel miniscule. But given how casually he was expressing his adventure, there was actually some inclination to believe him.

"It's a good thing the Kyuubi's Chakra actually gives off a coating of oxygen, otherwise as I mentioned before I would've internally imploded; apparently it's a very excruciating experience from what he told me, I'm guessing he might've thrown one of his rivals into space one time when he was pissed at him. Getting back down was the real pain though, I forgot about orbital reentry; I walked funny for at least three weeks after that, falling over one hundred thousand feet at seventeen thousand miles per hour burns like hell." Naruto remembered not so fondly, rubbing his backside in memory of the severe burns he suffered to his rump from the collision of his super heated anus hitting the Earth.

Azula just stared at the teen in wonder, struggling to believe if what he was claiming was true or not; sure enough this man had accomplished things she would've not believed physically possible in her life time, but could he have really survived a fall from the Heavens themselves at such immeasurable speeds? It didn't seem humanly possible; then again, Naruto himself didn't seem all that human to begin with; given how he informed her and her friends of how he quite literally had his own inner Demon.

"Come to think of it, let's get back to your question Ty Lee, on whether or not I had a girlfriend in my past life…well, yes and no. I mean once my home made it public knowledge that I was the son of one the greatest Shinobi who had ever lived and the greatest leader of our village, you can bet your ass that I had arranged marriages trying to be set up for me all the time by politicians who wanted to profit from it in some way."

"The leader of my village, Senju Tsunade, put a stop to that before it even began though, she wanted me to choose my own wives and for my own wives to choose me; which is in a sense ironic since Tsunade-chan herself ended up becoming one of those tragically short-lived partners of mine. But to get to the point and answer your question, no, I did not have ever really have a 'girlfriend' relationship to speak; hell, I never even had a wife to speak of." Naruto finished, crossing his arms akin to an almost disappointed pout. Ty Lee looked at him questionably as did her friends, to which Naruto quickly noticed due to the silence in the room.

"You had…wives?" Mai asked curiously.

"As in…more than one? That seems a bit…strange." Azula mentioned just every bit as curious as her friend. She had known that under rare occasions a man was allowed to have two to three wives, but even then those men were usually of noble status and even having a second wife was enough to raise a few eyebrows.

"I didn't REALLY have wives though girls, the marriages that were arranged never happened since the Fourth Shinobi World War ended up with the complete devastation of the world due to Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan. I actually never ended up getting married like I was supposed to after the War, due to the fact I was probably literally the only human being left alive on the planet." Naruto stated grimly, reminded of his past failures at stopping the Uchiha madman.

Sitting up from her bed after her legs had gone numb, Azula yawned slightly and looked over at her sun-haired companion. "How many wives were you supposed to have anyway Naruto? Two? Three? Perhaps even four?" Azula questioned inquisitively, a small smirk appearing on Naruto's face in the process.

"Well, let's see…counting my Village, the separate Villages, foreign continents and distant countries…I would've had approximately eight wives." Naruto recalled as he finished counting his fingers, allowing Azula and Ty Lee to gape in shock while Mai practically spit out her freshly made herbal tea.

"Eight wives? Isn't that a bit much? How could one man hope to be a husband to so many women? Not to mention foster the amount of children each wife would want!" Azula practically choked out, as Naruto laughed in a hearty manner in response.

"Trust me Azula-hime, I never got the chance to find out any of your questions; remember, I never actually to get married to any of them, everyone kinda died before that could happen. Though I can see what you mean, looking back it now, it does seem pretty overwhelming; not to mention I'd have to keep up with rudimentary schedules of each Clan alike…" Naruto pondered, scratching his chin in wonder about how such large details skipped over his mind.

"Didn't your past life, or should I say the Fire Nation's past in general, have any shame? Such an amount of wives seems a bit sacrilegious, marriage is supposed to be a sacred bond between a man and a woman in singular tense. There have been a few cases where the nobles in the Fire Nation were allowed to led at least three times, but such polygamy always raises quite a few eyebrows whenever said case shows up." Mai stated.

"I guess things were different for Hi no Kuni in my day, Mai-chan. The CRA, or Clan Restoration Act, often saw what I have described to you. People of noble birthrights often had the Clan Restoration Act enacted upon them, though that was usually only if they were more or less one of the last members of their said Clan. As both the heir to the Uzumaki and Namikaze lineage, the CRA was enacted upon me when it was made public knowledge to the world that I was the son of Konoha's famous Kirroi Senko, the Yellow Flash of Konoha, Namikaze Minato."

"You can bet your bottom dollar that when everyone found out that I was the son of possibly the most powerful Shinobi ever known, every politician wanted their daughter or niece to be wed to me in order to reap the riches of the Uzumaki and Namikaze fortunes. As I said beforehand though, Tsunade-chan put a stop to that before it began and ironically became one of my wives herself. Not only was having so many wives considered necessary for a person of my stature, but many people actually outright demanded it so I could restore the Clans that were both the legacy of my kaa-san and tou-san, my mother and father, respectively."

"Such bindings of husband and wives between nobles in my time were not uncommon Azula-hime, in fact, it was usually a rarity for a member of a noble household NOT to have more than wife; even when said member didn't have the Clan Restoration Act enacted upon him or her."

"A woman by the name of Karin who came to me was of no noble lineage, but there was much pain and suffering her eyes. She had been used and abused from a man who was once my ally, whom had betrayed me long ago. Karin saw me as the exact opposite of what he represented, all she wanted was someone to love her and treat her as an equal. Despite my initial suspicion, I gave her a chance despite her old ties to the bastard that shall not be named; needless to say Karin passed my expectations and I came to know her as the wonderful woman that she truly was."

"I was supposed to have joint rule over both Konohagakure and Kirigakure due to the marriage to both Tsunade and Mei-chan respectively, which would've also made a 'pseudo' Mizukage and Hokage at the same time. Following the marriage to Temari would've given me some root of power in Sunagakure due to the fact Temari was the sister of the Kazekage Gaara, and both the Tsuchigumo and Hyuga Clan I would've eventually had control over due to the union between Hinata, Hotaru and I."

"Finally, both Nadeshiko Village and Hoshigakure would've been more or less under my control. One of the women who came to me in hopes to be one of my wives was Shizuka, the future Queen of Nadeshiko Village; who I met previously and ironically enough, convinced her that she shouldn't set out to marry due to some stupid law set forth by her Village that she had to marry the apprentice of the Sannin Jiraiya, my former Sensei."

"And Hoshigakure was actually thinking about taking a vote to proclaim me it's Rokudaime Hoshikage when I liberated them from the oppressive tyranny of their self-proclaimed Yondaime Hoshikage, Akahoshi. The votes were eventually tallied and they all united in favor of me becoming their next leader, much to the disdain of the Konoha Council who still saw me as only the reincarnation of the Kyuubi despite all I had done for the Village."

" The only thing that needed to be done in order to cement the alliance was for me to join in union with one of the women of their Village, and I chose Hokuto-chan, a dear friend of mine I made when I spent time in Hoshigakure formerly. She agreed quite happily, which I was surprised to at first; probably because I was too dense to realize that he had a crush on me for a long time." Naruto halfheartedly chuckled, realizing all the opportunities he had wasted with people who had admired from afar; had he realized their affections for him sooner, things might've turned out differently.

"Naruto, is what you say true? If what you claim is indeed true than that means your political power in the world after this War of yours would've been quite formidable; having such status over so many different places at the same time…if you had been able to claim such a hold over the world afterwards then you would've had quite a considerable amount of control over the world…possibly as much as my…" Azula stuttered, not thinking that such a feat was possible.

"Than your father, Azula-hime? If the current Fire Daimyo of this time, Fire Lord Ozai, is indeed the Feudal Lord over Hi no Kuni than I would suspect by now he would've made admirable progress in this new war with the Avatar; if not, than that is most troubling, especially if he has limited reign over lands other than his own country. When a Daimyo of one of the Nations declared war on a foreign land or lands outside of his or her own territory, the assault would usually be quite swift and the 'war' would be over in a matter of a month or two."

"But I sense doubt in you Azula, it's written on your face. By your body language, I take it this awakened Avatar had been active for a while now? If so, than it is all the more apparent that not only Admiral Zhao and your niisan have failed as many times to stop him as you have told me; but I'm guessing Hi no Kuni forces in general have been unable to locate or stop this Avatar? As I said before, I'm usually not a very judgmental person but such a string of failures seems rather…unusual, Azula-hime." Naruto calmly stated, not wanting to arouse the flames of Azula's wrath. He knew that Azula had given him the right to voice his opinion, but she was still the Princess over his homeland; and therefore had the right to judge him for such honesty.

Azula sighed in an almost equally calm manner as she lightly clenched the sheets of her bed. "I agree with your statement Naruto, the failures of our Nation in capturing or destroying this new Avatar have been not only a setback in our goal to unify this world but it is inexcusable when the Prince of the Fire Nation and one of my father's most revered Commanders fail to stop a supposed Messiah. When our raid on the Northern Water Tribe begins I assure that we as comrades will end this infernal altruistic legacy forever and bring true unification to this separated world." Azula responded determinedly, earning a raised eyebrow from her friends and a small smile from Naruto in the process.

"Determination and pride, it is good to see that the current royalty has not lost touch of the true honor of Hi no Kuni. You'll be a good Queen someday Azula-hime." Naruto commented, causing Azula herself to momentarily ponder her station in how she would rule. She had always been told and brought up to believe that the reign of her father would last forever, and she herself had come to believe such terms adamantly. However, now that Naruto had been reborn into what was a new world to him, the future was uncertain. Azula shook her head in her mind, never daring to have thought such thoughts before; the very idea that her father would never rule forever was usually considered to be heresy in the eyes of her royal peers.

"Naruto…may I ask you a question?" Mai commented, earning Naruto's half-eye gaze.

"What is it Mai-chan? I'm open to any questions to pass the time." The Sage casually responded.

"I know it's only been less than a day since we found you, but you seem to have quite a clear memory about your past life itself and no skirmishes in between to interrupt your thought process. With a vibrant memory of your past and what you could've been had you been able to stop this man called Madara, do you plan to seek and lay claim to the lands and Clans you were supposed to rule over? I know it sounds like an absurd question given how many years must've passed and such things most likely don't even exist anymore, I'd just like to know, that's all." Mai questioned calmly, Ty Lee blinking her eyes in thought about the conversation while Azula's eyes widened at the thought of this man regaining such claim over so much territory, even if it all was nothing but nothing but lost memories to her Nation.

"That's an interesting question worth an answer Mai-chan, yes, I do plan to lay claim to what was supposed to be granted to me. The lands and Clans I were supposed to rule over are now long gone over course, so I will rebuild them from scratch. I suspect it'll take me little over a year to do so, given what I can accomplish in just a day." Naruto responded casually, brushing some of his golden bangs out of his eyes.

Azula blinked a few times before properly accessing the situation before, looking at Naruto with an adamant source of concentration. "Naruto, if you actually successfully gained a foothold in so many lands and Clans over such a little amount of time, you could've possibly eventually gained more power over the world in your lifetime than my great-grandfather Sozin did, and he was the greatest Fire Lord of all time." Azula almost immediately regretted saying such words though, it wasn't that she regretted saying such a statement to Naruto; it's that she regretted saying such a statement in general.

If saying that someone could hold more power over the world than her father Ozai was heresy, than saying someone could have more grasp over the Earth than Fire Lord Sozin did was practically sacrilege. Even though she had been named after her father's father, the now deceased Fire Lord Azulon; she had come to know of her great-grandfather's legacy even more so than her own father's.

To Azula's knowledge, Sozin was the only man she knew her father truly respected. She knew that Sozin was the father of her own father's father, but apparently that was not the only reason Ozai had respected Sozin so. Sozin was the one who saw the Avatars for the threat they represented to the Fire Nation and the world itself; sought to end the cycle of pointless altruism of helping people too weak to help themselves, which Azula herself considered a noble sentiment.

The legacy of the self-proclaimed Messiahs had been born with the Air Nomads, and more often than not the next Avatar of the wretched cycle would originate from there. From the knowledge of her history told to her by her father, Sozin was one of the few beings alive to actually kill an Avatar; a feat thought to be impossible due to the Avatar's 'God'-like status.

The last Avatar, Roku, had fallen to her great-grandfather after he had finally come to realize what chaos their order had brought upon the world. The people of this world needed to be strong for themselves; they didn't need an overhead guardian to constantly protect them when they were too feeble or lazy to do so. What she had been brought to believe was that the people of the Fire Nation and of the rest of the world itself needed to learn to protect themselves; they didn't need a self-proclaimed savior fighting for them.

The genocide of the Air Nomads was supposed to have cleansed the Earth of the Avatar legacy forever; but Sozin had apparently believed that the next Avatar, the last Airbender still lived on after the destruction brought upon his people. Sozin had continued the rest of his life as the Fire Lord searching to locating and destroying this being, but the last Avatar was never found; and Sozin's life ended in vain as a result, never accomplishing his true mission.

That's why when the new Avatar had been revealed, Azula knew that her father would want to accomplish the life's work of his own father who had come so close to destroying the legacy of the Avatars forever. Her failure of a brother Zuko and the somewhat revered Commander Zhao had been assigned to locate and destroy the Avatar, Zhao more than her brother due to his actual order to do so; from what she suspected Zuko only wanted to locate the Avatar and destroy him in a pathetic attempt to regain honor that could never be restored.

Zhao was only given the title of Admiral for the planned assault on the Northern Water Tribe, but had become apparent that Ozai had begun to doubt his own decision following Zhao's numerous failures to capture or kill the Avatar; thus, why her father sent her and her friends out to assist the new Admiral in his task instead.

"Azula-hime? I don't mean interrupt your train of thought, but just a moment ago you claimed that your Sosofu, your great-grandfather Fire Lord Sozin was the greatest Fire Lord of all time?" Naruto questioned calmly once more, not wanting to infuriate his Hime with his consistent questions.

"Fire Lord Sozin is considered to be the greatest Firebender and Fire Lord in the known history of my people; he is the man who lead the Fire Nation in its campaign of unification with the four separate Nations, and the man who sought to destroy the legacy of the Avatars forever. While it would be said to be sacrilege for even thinking such a thought, I now must wonder if my great-grandfather was truly the greatest Firebender of all time to begin with."

"If thousands of years of my people's history have been lost to us, then it would only be natural in the mindset of the people to remember their oldest memory as the strongest. But your very existence has proven there was a time when Firebenders existed far past even Sozin's time on Earth; and by that information alone any person could speculate that their might've been greater Fire Lords than Sozin that existed in a past that we don't know even know about." Azula finished in a rather melancholic note, the thought of so many centuries of history of her people that were most likely forever lost depressed her somewhat.

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly, stretching his arms from having sat in one place for so long. "I wouldn't worry about the past so much Azula-hime, I'll do my best to bring what I know and remember into this time. If I can bring knowledge that has been lost to the people of my future than I will; after all, I vowed to protect this land thousands of years ago, and as long as I draw breath that vow is not broken." Naruto stated proudly, clenching a fist in determination. Azula couldn't happen but to chuckle lightly at the boy's confidence, while Ty Lee and Mai smiled lightly. Ty Lee raised her hand in a childish matter to be granted an audience, something Naruto rolled his eyes humorously at.

"Um, Naruto? Don't you miss the women who would've been your wives? I can't imagine the memory of losing of all them hurts any less now than it did then." Ty Lee said sadly, knowing how her friend must've felt and most likely still felt about the loss of so many loved ones.

Naruto laid back in his beds with arms resting behind his head, looking up at the ceiling in thought. "To be honest Ty-chan, I honestly didn't want to live any more when I had lost all my friends and loved ones. But Kurama, the Kyuubi no Kitsune wouldn't let me die so easily; he actually convinced me to live on despite of the destruction of everything I cared for. I hated him for it back then, but as everything's come full circle, I can't help but be thankful for his stubbornness."

"As for my loved ones, it's not like I'll never see them again; given my power now, having them in my arms again is not an impossibility. Bringing them back will probably drain as much energy from me as it takes for me to be airborne, but I'll sacrifice all the strength I need to bring them back again." Naruto smiled brightly, fondly remembering all of the women who had dedicated themselves to him and who he had dedicated himself to.

Azula, Mai and Ty Lee on the other hand were not as refreshed as Naruto was. Many people could interpret his recent words as borderline insanity or an escapade full of denial; but somehow each one of them felt what the golden haired boy meant what he said in some way. In order to clear the uncomfortable air, someone had to ask him what he meant. Luckily for the trio, the boy raised his hand in order to halt the inevitable question.

"I know what you guys are going to say, that I can't see the ones I love ever again due to the fact they are millennia's gone; however, with me there is always a way for the impossible to occur. I can breach the boundaries that the Shinigami has placed; even he has no rule over me anymore. I can bring those who have passed to walk amongst us once more, simply put; I can bring back people from beyond the grave." Naruto stated seriously, not an inch of humor or sarcasm present in his voice. The three were beyond perplexed at this point, Naruto had been able to display abilities not humanly possible to their knowledge and had even talked of being able to take flight and live amongst the Stars themselves…but this…such a feat didn't seem possible, at least for any mortal.

"Are you quite serious, Naruto? You can…resurrect those who have passed? How is that even possible? I'm beginning to question whether the Demon you hold within you is actually real, and in fact that actually ARE the Demon." Azula stated inquisitively, knowing full well such an accusation could cause the youth to sink Zhao's ship in anger. Instead, the boy merely shrugged once more and got up slightly to look his Princess in her golden eyes.

"I can understand your discomfort or disbelief with such a feat Azula-hime, but know full well I mean what I say and I say what I mean; I would never lie just to disturb you. I can bring back those who have fallen, but such an ability is incredibly taxing; I can only bring back seven to ten people at once, then I'll collapse for a day or two out of Chakra exhaustion. If I tried to bring back more than ten people at once through the Gedo: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu than I'd most likely face a comatose state or possibly even die if I overexerted myself, even I'm not invincible, I can die as anyone else can." Naruto factually retorted.

"We should be getting to bed soon anyway Azula-hime, we've been up for awhile and Zhao said that it would take two and a half days to get to the Northern Water Tribe. We should rest while we're able, and don't worry, I'll stay on my side of the room and I'll get up when I need to use the restroom." Naruto commented in a half joking manner, knowing full well that he could face possible castration if he tried to get grabby with his females roommates.

Azula sighed in agreement, and looked at Naruto for a moment waiting for him to exit the room. Getting the picture quickly, Naruto left the room so the girls could get dressed in their pajamas. After a moment or two of waiting, a knock on the other side of the door as a signal; Naruto walked into the room and saw all three females in their sleeping wear with their hair down.

"Cute jamies, Ty-chan." Naruto commented to the acrobat whose sleep whose silk pink pajamas matched her ever innocent demeanor. Ty Lee blushed a light pink at the compliment, and giggled softly, much to the amusement of Azula as Mai merely sighed at Ty Lee's typical attitude.

Naruto performed a small jutsu with his hands, a small puff of smoke appearing around much to his roommates' surprise. Once the smoke cleared he was decorated in a blue suit made for sleeping, to which he yawned lazily and laid down on his bed. Ty Lee once again giggled but this time out of actual humor at Naruto's now sleepy demeanor rather than his laidback casual one.

Mai took the left side of the bed while Ty Lee took the left, the pink acrobat snuggling comfortably into Azula's side reminiscent of their sleepovers when they were children. Azula's lacy red nightgown that covered her body now had the Ty Lee burrowing into it, to which the Fire Princess couldn't help but sigh in a desperate sort of happiness at. Stroking her hand through the uppity girl's now loose hair, Azula planted a small kiss on her head; much to Ty Lee's enjoyment.

Naruto sighed comfortably in his new quarters, closing his eyes and secretly wishing Kurama a good night's sleep as well.

And then everything went black, as darkness claimed his consciousness.

As the vessel moved on through the night, everyone in Azula's quarters had drifted off to sleep. The ship was kept operational through the tireless and thankless efforts of the engineers, and most of the foot soldiers themselves had gone to sleep. Guard duty was an off and on premise, soldiers sharing shifts to make sure that were was no danger to be had; even if they were off at sea to begin with.

Zhao however, was not asleep. The Admiral had been staying up most of the night plotting the course of the battle soon to come, with the addition of Azula's company and that of the 'boy' as he still thought of Naruto as.

He knew there had to be a way for him to seize victory alongside the daughter of his Lord, he would not be outshone by a teenager, no matter how peculiar or powerful his abilities.

No, the assault would be the crowning moment in career and it would furthermore prove himself to his Lord that he was indeed worthy of serving the crown in future endeavors.  
_  
Perhaps if the boy could be cornered, alone, where there were no witnesses to be had…he would merely be another casualty amongst the battlefield…_

_Yes…yes, that would work out nicely._

_I will not have some sun-kissed haired freak steal the glory of the Fire Nation from that battle, nor will I let him besmirch my honor or Princess Azula's._

_Despite her Highnesses' claims, he is still a possible threat to our Nation, his personality is brash and overconfident, his powers are beyond peculiar and his origins are a mystery to me until her Highness reveals them to me…for all we know he could be a spy from one of the other Nations sent to impede our progress from behind the scenes._

_Or even worse, he could be one of the Avatar's cohorts ready to strike from within._

_The Northern Water Tribe will fall, and the Avatar will die by my hand…and it will be done without this strange child in our midst._

_I see his alliance with us ending in a tragically short manner…_

_Too bad…such power could've been advantageous, but we do not have the slightest guarantee that he could not use such strengths against us._

The following morning, the room was dreary from the dimmed lights and there was a line of sight visible. Azula was the first to wake, Mai resting peacefully on the right and Ty Lee passed out comfortably against her own side. Despite the lack of light, she could see that Naruto's bed was empty. Moving up slightly as Ty Lee's arms fell from place, the Princess moved off her bed softly as to not disturb companions; only for have Ty Lee to moan like a child whose parent had left it in bed unattended.

Ty Lee rose with a rather noisy yawn, which in turn stirred Mai from her slumber as she shook her hair out of her face. Ty Lee scratched her bum lazily, yawning once more in a lazy fashion; only for her echoing moan to be cut short by a pillow playfully tossed in her direction by Mai, much to Azula's amusement.

"I need a shower." Mai proclaimed out loud, getting off from her bed and turning the lights on as she fumbled in the darkness. She and her acrobatic friend were quick to notice Naruto's absence, to which they looked at Azula in question. The Fire Princes merely shrugged in response, heading towards the royal showers to wake herself up and then look for Naruto after; she knew he had to still be on the ship, he wouldn't just get up and leave, or rather fly away for no reason.

Mai and Ty Lee were quick to join Azula in a respective shower, each washing down their naked bodies from the morning grime that followed any normal person. The nudity in which they shared each other's presences while alarming or unusual to most people, was not exactly uncommon for them.

They had all seen each other naked before, usually after changing after a swim or having to share a shower when there were no others available. Mai was the least comfortable among them however, though what they were doing was strictly platonic the thought of showering bare amongst her friends was still a little off-putting to her; her friends didn't seem the least bit bothered though, though Mai herself thought they weren't as reserved as she was due to the fact that the Princess and the acrobat had always been very close to one another, even as far as friends go. Azula and Ty Lee took turns washing each other's backs, with Ty Lee occasionally stopping to feel the muscles of her Princess, much to Azula's amusement and or pleasure.

There was no physical evidence to prove that the relationship between Azula and Ty Lee was in any way physical or intimate, despite her slight suspicions that behind closed doors the two were as close with one another as the bond between a man and a woman. Homosexuality wasn't exactly uncommon or unheard of, even though it was mostly frowned upon by nobility and families who wanted their son and or daughter to continue their family line regardless if it was of noble stature or not. She had remembered that during her time in court there seemed to be two females who always seemed to be at each other's side, without having the fear of being judged. Whether or not they were actually intimate, Mai simply didn't care about sexual preference; if two people loved each other regardless of gender, which was their business, not hers.

A sharp snap from a towel against her backside made the reserved girl jump and let out a high-pitched yip, the naked acrobat laughing without shame of her antics as the Fire Princess chuckled slightly on the side. Her eye twitching in annoyance, Mai grabbed her towel and began to snap it at Ty Lee's sides, causing the uppity girl to shriek herself. After a minute or two of play fighting for the hell of it, the trio of women dried themselves off and equipped themselves with their garments, and then began to wander the hallways to stretch their legs and look for Naruto.

As the trio walked down the hallway, they were soon entranced by an enticing smell. A faint smile crossed their lips, each one equally enthralled by a rather unique scent in the air. Whatever was causing it, it certainly smelled delectable; a far cry from the food served to the common foot soldiers. The smell enticed them to the place of its origins; the dining hall, whether or not this was mere trickery of the aroma of a food that was actually awful was yet to be seen.

As Azula and her companions made their way into the rather large dining room filled with hungry soldiers, a familiar visage captured their eyes. At the usual spot where a cook would be placed, in his place stood Naruto, a bright smile washing over his face as he stirred the pot that the aroma had originated from. Like a flock of moths drawn to a lantern, the three women walked casually over to their golden haired friend to see what exactly he had been up to. Naruto's head perked up upon hearing footsteps approaching his general direction, and was glad to see that his three friends had woken up.

"Ah, good morning ladies. I knew you'd find me eventually, I woke up about an hour ago, I got bored so I took a shower and followed the scent of food due to my rumbling stomach. Needles to say though, the food I found wasn't exactly appetizing and reminded a fair bit too much of the rations we Shinobi got served during our times at war, so I decided to cook up a bit of food myself." Naruto grinned, already having had his full of his own hand cooked meal.

Ty Lee looked down at the boiling pot and took a deep whiff of it, and sighed in contentment upon smelling the aroma up close.

"It smells awesome Naruto, where did you learn to cook?" Ty Lee asked.

"When you're one of the last people on Earth you've got to learn to feed yourself Ty-chan, luckily for me the places where I traveled had plenty of cook books and recipes to be had I could learn from. And since I've traveled practically every where in this country, I'd look to toot my own horn and say that I think I know nearly every recipe in the book for authentic Hi no Kuni food; and that's saying a lot at the moment considering the recipes from my time probably don't even exist in this time." Naruto smiled, still enjoying the sweet aftertaste of chicken in his mouth.

"I managed to gather what ingredients I could with the chef's permission, when he saw me I guess he took it upon himself not to question what I do to the fact I travel with the Princess of the Fire Nation herself. As for the rest, luckily I still had a few scrolls on me that I used to store some of the best ingredients from my time; and they haven't aged a day, I can tell you that much." The blonde said as he laughed heartily.

Mai couldn't help but be inquisitive now, her stomach more than envious for some decent food since her departure from her estate; the only good thing about it being the royal delicacies. "What exactly have you made, Naruto? If you would let us, I'd like to try some." Mai inquired curiously, a small smile tracing across the Sage's lips.

"It's called Miso Soup Mai-chan, it's a common meal to be had in the time I lived, but I suspected it wasn't so common in this time so I decided to make some up to liven the place up a bit. The recipe usually consists of two teaspoons of Daishi granules, four cups of water, three tablespoons of Miso paste, eight ounces of diced silken tofu, and two cut up green onions; but fortunately for me I had larger table to serve so I made a lot more than I usually would."

"When I started cooking it attracted the noses of several of your hungry foot soldiers, who I suspect hadn't had their full of proper nutrition or were just literally sick of eating their current rations. So I grabbed the biggest pots I could find and started whipping up as much of the stuff as I could, and I think I've put a smile on their faces with my food, I can tell you that much." Naruto stated with a wide grin of his own at a job well done, as Azula took note of at least twenty three soldiers eagerly enjoying their meals.

She had never seen the men eat before with such passion; it was almost a little unnerving given the solemn state of their usual appetites. They were talking to each other rather casually as they chatted back and forth about how today's cook, Azula's guest of honor himself, had been a great customary improvement of their rations and stale recipes. As they noticed the Princess's gaze watching, they quieted down a bit out of nervousness, something Ty Lee couldn't help but chuckle at.

Azula turned to face them with a demanding sort of look, a small smirk present on her face. "Men! I'd like your attention please! The guest of this vessel and my new companion, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze has given this deck the unexpected honor of having a new cook with even newer meals to be had. In a moment of clarity and respect for what he had done, I'd like you to voice your opinions on his dish; I expect nothing but complete honesty, usually this is not how I operate this I can acknowledge, but I truly would like to know how this tastes to you fine soldiers." Azula loudly stated, making sure all the soldiers could hear her and take immediate note of her demand. After a moment or two of silent, one nervous soldier stood with a mug in his hand, raising it towards the ceiling.

"Y-Y-Your Highness…Princess Azula…if I m-may speak freely as you have asked us to…this is some of the best food I've tasted in my line of duty." The soldier stuttered, afraid that anything he said the Princess would punish him for. Another soldier stood up almost immediately after he finished his sentence, seeking to defend his ally from possible retribution.

"It's not our usual chef's fault though, given that more than half of the food he has to serve just comes from modifying our rations with a few spices that hardly make a difference in taste. The man you've brought on this vessel Princess Azula is a fine cook, and he came with his own products to make us this rewarding meal."

"If only we could get stuff like this more often." Another man remarked.

"That would make serving in this Navy a whole lot easier." Said another armored subordinate.

Azula crossed her arms lightly for the men to get the gist to silence themselves, which they did, and quickly went back to eating to not entice any possible wrath from their Princess.

"Well Naruto, clearly many of the men on this ship are in your favor. What else did you add into this wonder soup of yours?" Azula asked in a half-joking manner.

Naruto chuckled lightly; entertained with the fact that so many had begun to inquire about the contents of his meal. "Well, I added some herbs and spices I collected from my time in Na no Kuni, the Land of Vegetables; which contained some of the finest ingredients in the entire world in my time. I added some parsley, a small hint of lemon and two small peppers for spice; I wasn't quite sure how the crew would react to it but I'm glad a lot of them seem to enjoy it. You may have as much as you wish my ladies, I originally made this to be your breakfast to begin with; I just got carried away when so many hungry faces showed up." Naruto blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his head that cooking had become a slight passion of his when he had wandered the Earth in search of purpose.

"Aww, that's so sweet of you Naruto, thanks for thinking of us." Ty Lee commented, grabbing a nearby bowl and serving herself up some soup. Azula and Mai soon followed, with the three bringing their respective meals to a nearby vacant table. As they all began to ingest the Sage-made soup, needless to say all enjoyed their meals to a great degree. Upon the first spoonful Ty Lee let out a small but noticeable squeal of euphoria, something Azula and Mai had taken note of and chuckled over; with the golden haired chef watching in amusement. Mai blushed slightly upon tasting the food, seeing why it had brought so much apparent joy to her acrobatic friend. Azula herself also noted the richness of the taste, if this was a common meal from Naruto's time that he could make so well, she dared to think of what would happen if made an actual delicacy from the Fire Nation's past.

Azula and Mai both had two bowls to not try to appear gluttonous or overbearing in front of their new ally and friend, Ty Lee however was not as modest and had four and half bowls out of sheer want for the soup; to which Naruto laughed at and said that the more the person consumed from his time when a meal was offered to them was an act that honored the chef himself. After their bowls were emptied they passed them to Naruto, who was already cleaning the dishes left behind from several hungry soldiers that had already partaken in eating earlier.

As the three waded back to their rooms they discussed with one another the contents of their meal and how Naruto seemed to be a genuine cook on top of things he already proved he could do. Ty Lee sighed happily once she hit her bed as the trio reached their quarters, her stomach filled contently with Miso Soup. It wasn't more than twenty minutes later that Naruto returned, stretching his arms from having scrubbed at least three dozen bowls clean of Miso grime.

He sat down on his bed comfortably, and laid back for a moment to catch up on his thoughts. He wouldn't have time to rest long then, a certain pink clad girl hovering over him as his one good eye widened in a bit of surprise.

"Y-Yes, Ty-chan? Is there something else I can do for you?" Naruto asked, as the pink girl just looked over him with a wide grin on his face.

"Nope, just looking at you that's all. I like your eye…eyes! I meant eyes! Your blue has a slit in it like a cat and your pale green one is pretty in its own way." Ty Lee said as she tripped over her own sentences, not wanting to offend the half-blind man. Naruto chuckled softly as Mai and Azula couldn't help but shake their heads at Ty Lee's clumsy demeanor, knowing full well that such a compliment could be taken as a slight insult in direction to Naruto's distorted eye.

"Relax Ty-chan, no need tiptoe through the tulips. As I said before I came to terms with my half blindness a long time ago, you don't need to apologize when you've done nothing wrong, comments about it don't actually bother me. And for the record, I like your eyes to, they always have a really pretty, bouncy look to them; they reflect your personality well." Naruto commented casually as he started to perform leg squats from his sitting position, earning a slight blush at Ty Lee from the accidental comment.

The trio remained silent for awhile, an occasional chat arising from the boredom and silence every ten minutes or so. Ty Lee seemed to have the venture to the bathroom every twenty minutes to relieve herself, something Naruto half jokingly commented on to Azula and Mai that such a large consumption of Miso soup would build up in a person's bladder quickly. A few more hours passed in which the group did roughly as much as they could to pass the time. Naruto engaged in a few rounds of chess with Mai, to which the score ended one to two with Mai as the victor; with the blonde claiming a few thousand years of being imprisoned most likely made him rusty. The Sage also had meditated with Ty Lee in his spare time, with Naruto a bit perplexed at how flexible the acrobat's body was; in which the uppity female would tell the boy tales of her time at the circus, to which blonde responded that it sounded 'awesome.'

Azula also asked Naruto for a moment of his time after he was done spending time with her friends, to which he was more than happy to grant audience for. The two talked of the oncoming battle, and what would occur after it. In Azula's mind, if the battle was a success, to which she had the absolute determination that no other outcome would be acceptable; that after the victory Naruto should return with her following the Avatar's demise to personally meet her father the Fire Lord Ozai to discuss future service to the Fire Nation. Naruto agreed whole heartedly, claiming that his absence from his homeland was a time far too long; and he merely wished to protect his home which he failed to in the past, something the Fire Princess admired his patriotism for.

Another hour or so passed that accompanied a grand amount of heavy sighs that were evidently out of boredom, mainly from Ty Lee and Naruto with the desire to move and see things. Eventually, the blonde jumped off his bed, dusted himself off, and looked at his Princess with determination in his eyes.

"Azula-hime, if I may be so bold, I think I've spent all the time I can sitting still for awhile. Between spending time with all of you, there really isn't much to do as we wait for the raid on the Northern Water Tribe to commence." Naruto commented casually, earning a nod in agreement from the Fire Princess.

"While it is most regrettable that there is little else to do in our time onboard this vessel other than wait for what is to come, I'm afraid we cannot actually do much else until that point. Unless, you had a better idea, which I take it you do?" Azula practically smirked, earning a soft chuckle from the golden haired man in response.

"Strange, we've been together for such a short amount of time and already you can read me like a book, you're a sharp one Azula-hime. What I was planning was to teleport from this ship to the Northern Water Tribe itself, we're quite a distance away from it I know, but I should be able to land in a close vicinity to its actual location given that I only have to travel in one general direction to get there." Naruto commented, to which Mai and Ty Lee both raised their eyebrows.

"What do you plan to do while you're there? You may be powerful, but I don't know if you can take on a whole Tribe of elite Waterbenders by yourself." Mai said nonchalantly.

"Mai's right Naruto, plus, not to offend you or anything, but your appearance is one that kind of draws attention; you don't exactly look like a common visitor." Ty Lee added in, to which the blonde smirked at the statement in response.

"Why thank you Ty Lee, I didn't know that my physical appearance drew so much 'attention'; have you been watching me while I haven't been looking?" Naruto half-jokingly replied, which in turn caused the acrobat to blush a light pink, much to Azula's amusement and Mai's usual eye rolling. "While you do make an excellent point Ty-chan, I didn't exactly say that I'd be visiting as an enemy did I? My alias will be that of a foreigner, which they'll be inclined to believe due to my looks in comparison to their own people; my story will be that I had heard tales of the Avatar's return, and had gotten wind where he was heading next, so I followed his route to have the 'honor' to meet him. I won't cause any trouble while I'm at the Tribe however, it unlikely they even know of our homeland's plan of attack and I'm sure you'd like to keep it that way, Azula-hime."

"My name while I'm there will be the same as when I'm in your company Azula-hime, I have no reason to hide my semblance of self; only my intentions and who I serve shall remain hidden. Think of this as not only a reconnaissance mission to see if they are aware of our impending arrival, but a way for me to pass the time in relation to out assault. I will also see how many children, sick and elderly are present at this encampment; if I am to serve my homeland once again, we should retain the honor we held once in the past, we do not kill those who cannot fight against us." Naruto finished in a determined tone, while Azula raised an eyebrow in surprise to one of his following statements.

"While this sound like a worthwhile endeavor that I can approve of Naruto, I'm surprised that you'd limit your opponents with such sympathy in mind. I was always taught whoever is in the line of fire during war is fair game, apparently that is not so in your own mind." Azula replied rather coldly, earning an even colder stare from Naruto in response.

"Azula-hime, while I respect as the Princess of my homeland and a newfound ally and friend of mine please know that the way I was introduced to war is apparently different than the wisdom your father or studies has placed upon you. I know that not everyone can be saved in war, that is an inevitability; please know that I will at least try to save those who pose no threat to us. In truth while I can take life rather easily through my power I do not relish in the ability to do so; there is usually little honor to be had in bloodshed, unless the person killed truly needed to be stopped and there was no other safe alternative but to kill him or her."

"I appeal to you though that whatever I find out in the Northern Water Tribe, it will not affect my loyalties to you or our homeland. While I can see the benefits in such a militaristic way of thinking, I can say without any hesitance that the cons far out way the pros. I know that your father the Fire Daimyo of this wishes to unite the Four Nations, and that within itself is an admirable goal; but some steps need to be taken in between so we do not stray from the honor of our Nation itself."

"While I can recognize many will die in this battle, perhaps more than I wish to save, we should still look at all the alternatives possible; at the end of this War, we should have the populace remember the people of Hi no Kuni as honorable warriors, not tyrants or murderers." Naruto finished with an indomitable tone in his voice, as Azula's stare at him changed from a small glare to eyes slightly widened at the tone of which her new friend was addressing her.

He had pledged himself to her service, yet he was not afraid to voice his opinion; but he did so in a way that showed respect and little impudence towards her station, which was in itself a rarity; seeing as so many were willing to kowtow to her with little of their own actual personality still evident. Mai and Ty Lee were slightly afraid that Naruto's manner would still come off as too challenging or possibly as insulting to their royal friend; neither one of them wished to see such a promising ally who had become a reasonable companion thrown into the waters for insubordination.

"Very well Naruto, I admire that you feel to speak your mind so freely, yet you still seek to respect me at the same time. Report to me with what you find at the Northern Water Tribe, and I will make sure to inform Zhao of which areas our Navy is not to target due to civilian populations." Azula replied casually, shocking both of her female friends in the process. Naruto smiled sincerely while bowing to her out respect, shortly afterwards taking off his headband that bore a symbol of his language upon it; putting it softly in the hands of his Princess, who's golden eyes looked up to meet azure and viridian.

"Keep this until I return Azula-hime, think of it as a promise that I'll come back safely without question. After this battle is over, would you like to spar with me, firebending only? Even though you're my Princess, you're still my friend; a round or two with you would probably be a pretty good fight." Naruto said while a small smile passed his lips, to which Azula couldn't help but look up at him with a smirk of her own.

"If you think you can win that is." Azula responded in a slightly combative manner, where Naruto couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"I'm sure you'll be quite the challenge Azula-hime, I'll be gone for about three days or so, but I'll be back safely so don't worry." The Sage stated, walking over to his bed and pulling out a mask from one his duffel bags used to contain personal items. It bore a shade of a silver opaque, with three small slits at the bottom of it so he could not only breath but for others to see a small image of his lips. The shapes used to form eyeholes were slanted ever so slightly, putting off a slight intimidating visage to the azure and viridian circles behind them.

"Ja ne, Azula-hime."

And in an instant, the boy vanished into a swirling formation; the same technique he had used to transport them out of the ruins and have them arrive at the Navy in only a few seconds flat. Azula sighed slightly at the disappearance of her newfound companion, and tied the headband he had given her around her arm as a reminder that he would return.

"I'm surprised you listened to his plea about the civilian populace Azula, usually if someone questioned a military raid on an operation like this it doesn't exactly suit well with royalty." Mai commented softly, knowing full well that the wrath of angered noble, especially that of one who knew firebending; could and usually would take its toll on the one who questioned them. She had known that her distant crush Zuko, Azula's own older brother had once commented on a plan of attack similar to what Naruto himself had questioned; only to end up with one side of his face scarred for life by his own father for his supposed impudence.

"While your statement rings true in regards to my family and I would usually not tolerate questioning regarding hesitance in a military operation, we must remember that Naruto has proven himself a worthy ally and even greater warrior. As both you are aware, Naruto most likely has secrets of his own that can highly benefit the Fire Nation in destroying the legacy of the Avatar, uniting the Four Nations and helping us gain even more influence than we have already; I will not destroy such an opportunity when it is presented to me just because he stated his opinion."

"Regardless of what anyone has to say to my supposed leniency, Naruto has so far proven himself an ally and a friend to the three of us and more importantly, our homeland itself." Azula stated in a matter-of-fact voice, earning a small grin from Ty Lee who soon hovered over her friend with a certain aspect of mischief present in the air. Azula narrowed her eyes in slight annoyance, knowing full well Ty Lee was most likely going to give her own output of the situation.

"Maybe you're being more lenient to him more than other people because you LIKE him." Ty Lee teased childishly, putting a severe amount of emphasis on the word 'like'; to which Azula rolled her eyes slightly in response while fighting back a very small blush.

"Please, it's been less than a day since we've met Naruto; it would hardly be logical to grow feelings for a man in such a short amount of time, such relationships are only the aspect of fairy tales Ty Lee. As I've stated before, I find his command of such unknown abilities intriguing, and I've already made it perfectly clear that his knowledge will help bring the War to end much quicker than we could've predicted; and hopefully unite the Four Nations while our own homeland grows in power like we could've only dreamed." Azula retorted, huffing slightly to deter her acrobatic friend's pursuit of slowly depriving her patience.

"Soooo….you find his abilities intriguing eh? Or rather do you mean, you find him intriguing?" Ty Lee giggled, to which Mai face palmed at Ty Lee's childish antics.

"Why must you consistently turn every word of mine into some perverse manner that implies an attraction towards Naruto? It's become increasingly obvious to nearly everyone in the vicinity that you yourself bare some kind of attraction towards Naruto's physical state, and perhaps even a truer interest in his actual semblance of being rather than just a fling." Azula said in hopes of turning the situation on Ty Lee to halt her friend's antics. Ty Lee just smiled and entered a playful meditation pose, still having her chocolate eyes concentrate on Azula.

"While I will admit that Naruto is a bit of a looker and a pretty nice guy who's quite capable of many things in his own right, I wouldn't say I like 'like' him so far. As you said, it's been less than a day since we've met him; I'd have to get to know him a lot more before I came to a conclusion that I actually have feelings for him. For the moment, if anything I find to be a very interesting person; I've never seen people do what he's capable of, and his personality is something of a mystery, which is always fun to unravel." Ty Lee responded playfully.

"While I'll agree with you that he is indeed a very interesting person, how come when I give Naruto a bit of leniency you imply that such actions are done out of an attraction I have for him; while you've been more up in his face more than the three of us in the short time we've been together? Wouldn't that imply that you're the one who likes him, not me? I'm afraid your little fantasy scenario has a few plot holes in it Ty Lee." Azula said while chuckling slightly, still failing to deter the goofy smile from her friend's face.

"I've already stated the reasons why I don't like 'like' Naruto yet, if I ever come to that is, which I personally feel may be a possibility in the future once I get to know him more. And to justify the supposed hypocrisy of the 'attraction' between Naruto, you, and I...it's because I like to see you get flustered, it's just so unlike you, that's why it's so funny." Ty Lee giggled while letting out a small snort, a small vain throbbing in Azula's head out of frustration. Mai couldn't help but shake her head, consistently being reminded of the similar circumstances of their childhood where Ty Lee was often the comic foil to Azula's rather cold demeanor.

_I hope you have fun out there Naruto, it'll probably be much more entertaining than watching Azula strangle Ty Lee for the umpteenth time. _The dark girl thought drearily, as she herself started to drift off out of boredom.

***Meanwhile in the middle of the ocean…*"**

Naruto kicked his legs to maintain the balance needed to stay afloat in the freezing waters, which in terms to him weren't all that freezing due to the fact he could use the Kyuubi's chakra to keep him as warm as he would be in a sauna as he was in the water.

_Goddamnit, I think I undershot that teleportation sequence. The Jikukan Ido always was a bitch to master, still haven't gotten used to it. I honestly don't know how Madara-teme managed to get it down, maybe I should ask him…oh right, he's dead. *Chuckles*_

_Hey Kurama, do you sense any good levels of Chakra or Chi nearby? If so, that's probably where the Northern Water Tribe encampment is located. I could home in on that with another Jikukan Ido use…but that might cause suspicion if I just appear right the hell out of nowhere in their home, not only that but it's not like that Jutsu has a low casting Chakra maneuver, even with all the energy I have it can be a bitch to pull off with repeated use._

**"Hey Kit, once you stop thinking to yourself I've got some news for you. I'm pretty damn sure I managed to locate the Chi signatures of the Waterbender Tribe, it's the only thing I'm able to pick up for miles from where we are; other than the occasional seal that is of course."**

_Well that's good to hear, thanks Kurama. How far are they from where we are now?_

**"I'd say about roughly a mile Kit, if you don't want to poof outta nowhere like that flashy gaki Sasuke did during your Chunin Exams I'd suggest paddling like a motherfucker in order to get there fast; I know my Chakra can keep us both superheated like this water is nothing, but I really don't like to stay wet for too long."**

_Why's that? Do you hate the water or something?_

**"I wouldn't say I hate it, I just grew an aversion to it, that's all. It remind me WAY too much when I spent three weeks in Kirigakure terrorizing the populace with Isobu, not that crushing you humans beneath my paws ever gets dull, but the feeling of constantly being wet grows rather tiresome. I honestly don't understand how that stupid turtle can take it, at the end of the seventh day I didn't feel dry for a month."**

_Touching._

**"I know right?"**

**"So what's the plan when we get to this place anyway? Please tell me we get to fuck up their shit."**

_Didn't you hear me tell Azula that this is a reconnaissance mission?_

**"I was hoping you were joking, the little skirmish we had with those Earthbenders, while a bit bloody, wasn't exactly enough satiate my appetite for violence; it's been far too long since we went on a killing spree."**

_You're incorrigible.  
_

**"I know, but I'm the fucking Kyuubi; what do I care what you think?"**

**"Can we at least show off for these people a bit? Blow their minds with what we're capable of? Maybe show them it doesn't take a supposed Messiah to bend four Elements at a whim?"**

_We don't want them getting too suspicious of our nature…_

"But blowing people's minds in this time is the best part of getting to live again, their faces will never stop being priceless when they see our strengths."

_True…I'm sure I'll blow their minds more than once while I'm there anyway, I don't even think I'll have to try really hard anyway; given the limited understanding of Elements and nonexistent knowledge of Jutsu._

**"Sweet, watching these mortals soil their trousers never gets old; though it sure did leave a bad taste in my mouth when I devoured countless amounts of them."**

_That's fucking disgusting Kurama…why do you have to joke so light-heartedly about slaughtering literally thousands of my people, even if such events happened millennia's ago_

**"Because it's fun to butcher someone when they're most afraid of you?"**

_…I really will never understand why you get off on killing._

**"One of the many mysteries of life Kit, now start swimming like Hoshigaki used to!"**

_Roger that Captain Asshole, full speed ahead!  
_ _  
**  
And that's the end of Chapter 3, not what I expected it to be since it was originally much longer but whatever. Since I had to split this Chapter in two "Chapter 4" or the other half of Chapter 3 to be more precise will be up quicker than I had planned.**

**I guess since "Chapter 4" is already "done" I have to work on Chapter 5 now.**

**Read and review, let me know what you think, you know the drill people.**

**Later!**  
**TheArkOfAwesome**


	4. Chapter IV: Introductions

**Disclaimer: I don't Avatar or Naruto, which sucks.**

**Here we are on Chapter 4; or Chapter 3 Part 2 or whatever you want to call it.****  
****  
Not much to say this time around due to the early release of this Chapter, so have fun with an early fix!**

**I tried to fix as much as I was able to, I don't know why fucks up alot of my writing when I transfer it over, it's pretty annoying.**

**Not as long as an Author's note now, finally managed to trim it down a notch due to alot of people asking me too; sorry bout that fellas.**

**A small but important note though, is that I've finally decided what to do when this story eventually hits the lemon/lime category for some the later Chapters.**

**Alot of people have been asking me what intend to do about Banhammering stories with lemons or graphic violence; which is some buulllshiittt within itself given that this the site that says "Unleash Your Imagination"...more like "Censor Your Imagination", LOL.**

**The violence in my tale isn't what I consider to be too graphic persay nor will it become a blood-soaked gorefest. The 'graphic' violence of the story that I'm writing is just on the level of an M-Rated Videogame, which in itself shouldn't be a problem considering this an already M-Rated Story.**

**When the lemons/lime eventually make their way into the story, I'll post the Uncensored Lemons/Lime on (which alot of authors seem to migrating too for good reason) and the Censored Chapters will remain here. In other words, the entire story will be placed here; and will be the place to look for the Uncut Sexual Material in the future. I have yet to make my account over there in preparation for said material, but I'm working on it. My username will be TheArkOfAwesome, which is what I've been actually calling myself of late on this file in reference to my Gamertag on Xbox Live.**

**So, in short:**  
**Full Story/Albeit Certain Censored Chapters ( ) Bardock92.**  
**Uncensored Lemons/Lime Chapters ( ) TheArkOfAwesome.**

**I highly doubt that my story will get canned for graphic violence of all things, considering what I have in my head for the future isn't exactly Mortal Kombat worthy; just slightly above the violence of a videogame I love called Killer Instinct.**

**I've only gotten only review that I consider to be a "flame" and that's from 0 Jordinio 0.**

_**-Sorry, I just can't read this shit anymore, it might be long but just because it's long doesn't mean it's not fucking shit.**_  
_**The walls and walls of text for just one thought passage, the monotone dialogue, the pointless dialogue.**_  
_**You've had quite a few reviews telling you how to fix up your story but you didn't take any of their advice to heart.**_  
_**I'm un-favoriting and un-alerting this, despite being able to write alot you're just clumping cliche after cliche together in hopes of making a decent story.**_  
_**It ain't working boyo.  
-0 Jordinio 0  
**_**  
Too each his own I guess, but this really doesn't sound like constructive criticism (to me at least). He's entitled to his own opinion though, and whether he decides the story isn't worth reading or not is up to him.**

**This, on the other hand, is what I consider to be constructive criticism.**

_**-This whole seemingly Self imposed collapse of FF has made me forget that their are still great stories on here. Not that stories that have smut in them are the better, they aren't, but for a while it felt like all the good was sucked out of the site. So thanks for that, **__**Great story hope to read more, the only issue I have are presentation issues. Nothing major but a few things you might want to consider, **__**It's a bit bothersome having a large AN, it also pads out the chapter length I know you'd like to answer reader questions but it gets unwieldily especially for those of us whom have a grasp over things and/or dont want everything laid out for us. I know it's as simple as scrolling thorough but it's weird. I'm not saying you should remove AN but maybe a trim?**_  
_**And the info dump, I get you want to have the backstory explained, referring to chapter 2, but having monologue or dialogue go for that long is not fun to read through. Not only is it all to easy to just glaze over; but it's so much info it all sorta blends together and when referenced later a reader gets a bit confused because its all mess. Again these are just opinions but Either way it's a great story.  
-Muffin-Crumbs**_

**Thanks for your output friend, criticism without loudly shouting that my work is an abomination is what I consider to be a good review. And yes, I'm looking foward to dumb down these Author Notes, thanks for that. **

***Key***  
**"Kyuubi Talking"**  
**_ Kyuubi Thinking  
_**_Thinking  
_"Talking"

***Japanese Key*  
Hime=Princess.  
Gaki=Brat.  
Oji-san=Old man.  
Teme=Bastard.  
Suiton: Akuabureido no Jutsu=Water Style: Aqua Blade Jutsu. ****  
_**

*Approximately twenty minutes of swimming later…*

In comparison to the Southern Water Tribe, their Northern counterpart seemed much grander in comparison to their own home. The entire encampment was like a fortress made of ice instead of just a few flimsy igloos out in the middle of nowhere, which was Sokka's comparison to what the villages looked like side by side.

There was a noticeable change in the very presence of Northern Tribe however; it seemed not only much bigger but much more war ready and noble in comparison to the meager defense and peasant life of their counterparts on the other side of the world. Upon their arrival in which they were welcomed with open arms, Sokka was quick to note the presence of a silver-haired beauty; whose azure eyes looked even more tranquil than the water itself.

Katara was needless to say amused that her brother was smitten with a member of the Northern Water Tribe upon their first ten minutes in the vicinity, and to her it was even more entertaining that the aforementioned woman was Princess Yue; who would most likely be leading her Tribe in the future after the War with the Fire Nation had ended.

Aang and his friends were welcomed personally into the Northern Water Tribe by the Chieftain Arnook, the leader of the Tribe and the father to Princess Yue herself. The Avatar's arrival had been expected and welcomed, unlike many other places in the Gaang's previous travels where the Avatar was seen only as a coward who abandoned the world out of fear one hundred years ago; while this had often been seen as Fire Nation propaganda, many people had truly come to think in such a way, something that saddened and disheartened Aang deeply.

Two guards stationed near the entrance who had been left to look after Aang's flying bison Appa were ready for just about anything at this point, if a visit from the supposedly long gone Messiah had occurred they were prepared for just about anything…or so they thought. One of the two men squinted his eyes upon the belief that he had seen something, to which the other man would look in said general direction to see a geyser of water rushing towards the docks. They both entered their respective fighting stances, whether or not this was some kind of new underwater assault tactic from the Fire Nation or even a rampaging Serpent they would stand to fight no matter the cost to their own lives.

As the incoming object neared within twenty feet of the docks the water exploded as a figure front flipped high in the air three times, landing right in front of them in the process. Naruto stood amongst the frightened men with a mischievous smile adorning his face underneath his mask, before introducing himself he shook his incredibly long golden hair from side to side like a wet dog; sending a mini shower onto to the two poor guards before him.

After brushing themselves rather angrily and reentering their fighting poses, the man on the right decided it was to time address the would-be assailant. "You! Identify yourself! Who are you and what business do you have here in the Northern Water Tribe? We would also to know where you come from, lest you be a Fire Nation spy!"

Naruto rolled his eyes casually and coughed a bit before deciding to make his situation perfectly clear. "It's pleasure to meet you both gentlemen, I am Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, and I hail from the Earth Kingdom. I have traveled long and far as a wandering warrior, and then I had learned of rumors that the Avatar himself had returned to bring prosperity to this world once again. The tales have brought me here as were the rumors that this would be where the Avatar would visit next, if he is here, it would give me great honor to meet him." Naruto said with a smirk behind his mask, all he needed to do was sugar these people up in order to get them to believe him; perhaps all the time amongst Shinobi had given him the useful skill of lying with a straight face, something he was not necessarily proud of but glad to have nonetheless.

"While your words seem to no ill intent, how can we know you're telling the truth? You could be an undercover Fire Nation spy here to try to assassinate the Avatar, kill our Chief Arnook or even assassinate her Highness Princess Yue. Not only that but the matter in which you introduce yourself is most peculiar, you burst out of freezing water swimming at speeds unimaginable for a human and your attire as well as your hair do not reassemble any men or women anyone has ever seen in this true before. In my entire life I have never once seen a person with sun-kissed hair like yourself, which at least bodes true in your claim that you a foreigner." The guard on the left said.

"Would you believe that I swam all the way here? And as for my appearance, as I said I'm obviously not from around here; you said you haven't see anyone with blond hair in all your life, and I'm guessing that means you've never left this place; which means you wouldn't know if someone was capable of having this kind of hair or not. Though I must say, I haven't seen many people with my color hair myself; I guess I'm a bit of a rarity." Naruto casually retorted, earning a small snort from one of the guards.

"While I can't say much about my defensive claims about people with your unusual hair color, it must be said that it would not be humanly possible for anyone person man or woman to swim all the way here. The way here is an ocean miles upon miles long, with the water only getting colder with each passing yard; you would've either drowned out of exhaustion or frozen to death if you truly did make it into the regionally cold waters." The guard on the right stated. Naruto shrugged nonchalantly in response, stretching out his arms and legs in an attempt to get use to the frigid air.

"I'll admit it wasn't really fun paddling through miles and miles of ocean to get here, but I did what I had to; I actually did come close to passing out once or twice but I remembered that the Avatar would most likely be here and that kept me going. The reason I can swim so fast is because I grew up in a small town called Boroshi that overlooked a calm river, we often had to physically swim in order to get to one area of our town to the next due to lack of sturdy bridges and not enough boats to supply everyone with." Naruto lied as he his true face under his mask remained that of stone, no physical signs would be evident if he was lying even without something covering his face. The guards looked at one another in a moment of consideration, and both nodded to another in agreement.

"We'll bring to the dining hall where Chief Arnook will be the one to judge if your trustworthy or not, if you are not what you claim keep in mind this entire Tribe is full of elite warriors and Waterbending masters that are more than enough to stop a rowdy foreigner." Spoke the guard on the left, as his partner and Naruto respectively began walking down the icy sidewalk towards their destination.

Naruto couldn't help but smile underneath his mask out how easy it was to infiltrate this village; it was almost too easy in his own mind to be going off without a hitch. He half expected for several Shinobi hidden in the shadows to launch an ambush at any moment, but then he remembered that this wasn't the Age of Shinobi anymore, but the age of Benders.

The Sage smirked as he saw the faces of those he passed several men, women and children looked at him like he was some type of strange creature. The guard's spoke at least some truth about his matter of appearance, which it was most peculiar in today's standards in regards to what 'normal' people looked like; something Azula and many others had made evidently clear to him many times before. The dark skinned men and women who he passed looked upon his garments and most likely his hair in both suspicion and awe, while the arrival of the Avatar had been expected and welcomed, this new visitor was a mystery and a possible foe.

Seeing the color of their of their skin amongst the populace, Naruto thought of a link to their ancestry to be Kumogakure due to the darker pigmentation of flesh. He quickly dismissed this theory however, considering how Kumo was the Land of Lightning and these people mainly controlled bodies of water; something that more often was to be related to the Nin of Nami no Kuni, but the Land of Waves bore no icebergs or frigid temperatures like this land did. Naruto had often heard of smaller Villages that boarded near the North and South Poles that he never had the chance to visit in his past life, so it was most likely that these Tribes were descendants of them.

The blonde remembered that such groups of people, while mainly separated from the events of the world itself; were often called Inuit or Eskimos by the people of his past; perhaps the same terms existed in this new world, but he decided not to test such a theory out of fear of being Waterbended a new rump.

As the trio of men entered the royal dining hall, the guards stood in awed silence as they bore witness to a marvelous spectacle before them. A ceremony to welcome the long awaited Avatar was currently being performed; an elderly man with slivery white hair led his friends in a spectacular display of elite Waterbending prowess. The aged warrior was recognized by every man, woman and child of the Northern Water Tribe as Master Pakku, the greatest Waterbender of their tribe and close friend as well as advisor to their own Chieftain, Arnook.

Naruto's eye followed the rhythm and complexity of the Waterbending before him, to which he himself would admit that there was no doubt the group performing such arts were all equally talented warriors. Such a natural command of Chi over water without the use of Jutsu was usually rare even in his own time, but it wasn't an impossible feat to be sure; a high level Jonin or an experienced ANBU Op who had been trained in Water Release Styles could most likely perform what he was seeing now.

It didn't take long for the young Sage to deduct who was most experienced in the group, Naruto knew it had to be the eldest out of them all; he had a stern look on his face that demanded respect and commanded a great deal of power. As he stared at the elderly man from afar, he was at first reminded of his own dearly departed sensei Jiraiya; but was quick to note that the aura of this man seemed different than that of his old Master. It was rougher, more rugged, and most likely less friendly or as casual as what Jiraiya had been; the only advantage he could think of was that the old man before him most likely did not have the Ero-Sannin's perverse nature as a part of his own personality.

As he and the guards walked forward closer to the ceremony where they could be seen, several heads turned to look at them only for many eyes to be drawn to Naruto out of almost immediate curiosity. Two girls who were currently seated caught Naruto's attention slightly, as his one good eye drifted from watching the Waterbending underneath his mask to watch them through his peripheral vision.

They were both dark skinned as he had come to expect, but the main difference lay within their physical features. One was dressed in an urban style blue dress befitting a peasant, with her hair put into little loops which he found oddly attractive. Another similarity between the two was that they both had soft but firm blue eyes, but understandably they lacked the animalistic slit that was present in his retina. The other girl dressed in a much more royal style of clothing that was easily discernible from the aforementioned girl's, but an oddity about this one was that her hair was not even remotely close to the black or dark brown colors of her fellow Villagers; but it was a reflection of the moon itself, a silvery beautiful white.

Naruto noted this as particularly odd in his own mind not just due to the fact that her hair was so much different than the other's around her, but because of her age that she bore such an opaque feature. Most people he had seen in his own time that had apparently had not changed from what was currently the present was that usually only elderly people possessed silver-white hair, fondly remembering his Jiraiya-Sensei as the best example.

In his own time there were sometimes people of a younger age that bore a sort of silver-white hair, but such people were rarities within themselves. There was the passionate swordsman who had once allied with Sasuke, Hozuki Suigetsu, and then there was one of the Sound Four who had a sort of grayish white hair, Kimimaro. Naruto remembered that his own Kakashi had a darker shade of silver hair, in which a member of Akatsuki, Hidan, had in common with the Sharingan Warrior. But the most likely noble girl to the side of him bore the whitest hair he had ever seen in his entire life, an even clearer white than Jiraiya's.

It had become apparent that the combined girl's staring had attracted the attention of others next to them who were seated as well, most notably a male Water Tribe teen and a bald boy dressed in what appeared to be robes suitable for a Monk.

The boy who sat next the girl with hair loopies had a noticeable portion of his own hair tied up in a bun in relation to keeping a warrior-like look. He dressed in the same manner to the similar looking female next to him, a much more peasant look adorned his clothes; a small boomerang and club tied his waists. As he Naruto had come to expect thus far, this boy seemed to be eyeing him with skepticism and suspicion as other villagers he had passed had done, but he shrugged it off to get a better look at the balding male whose eyes were also studying him.

The noticeably younger male was dressed in robes similar to what Naruto himself had to adorn in reference towards his time studying the Sage Arts on Mount Myoboku. The cloth reflected a certain art of both tranquility and balance, imitating the robes of that traveling Monk's would wear in the Shinobi Age as they embarked on their journeys to achieve Nirvana. A peculiar looking staff was draped around his back, but even stranger were the noticeable markings that bore themselves on the youth's forehead and fists; all three of them looking similar to arrows pointing in their respective directions.

**"I don't think it takes a genius to find out that that's probably the Avatar Kit; he stands out amongst these people like a sore thumb, almost as much as we do."**

_Gotta agree with you there Kurama, ya think we should've enabled a Genjutsu that makes us look a bit more normal in comparison with these people? We're already gonna have to tell them one hell of a fib, not that that'll be of any consequence or difficulty mind you._

**"Nah, we shouldn't have to cloak ourselves for stuff like this; even if it is a reconnaissance mission, better to have the people of this world see us for who we are than hide in the shadows during your days as a Nin. Besides, just like when we show off what we can do, it's always funny to see people react to our actual physical appearance, given how 'strange' we look to them."**

_Any thoughts on the Avatar so far, Kurama? Sense anything…unusual?_

**"Are you kidding Kit? Look at this guy, he's a fucking toddler to old-timers like you and I. THIS is the guy who's supposed to be the self-proclaimed Messiah to save the world from the 'tyranny' of our homeland? This is a joke without a punch line Kit, what's say we just flatten the little twerp right now and save Azula the trouble?"**

_No, this a reconnaissance mission Kurama, RECONNAISSANCE. I'm supposed to spy on these people, not MURDER them; we talked about this already remember?_

"**I was hoping I could change your mind."**

_And what was that about calling us old-timers? I thought you'd never admit to being old, Fox._

**"You know damn well I could be your fifty times great grandpa before you were even ten years old, how do you think I feel about reawakening from at least a five thousand year coma into a world where Jutsu and Ninja are practically nonexistent? It won't be fun to slaughter people anymore if they can't even put up a good fight."**

_It's not either for me either Kit, the entire world I knew is gone; and for the record, I'm just gonna shut out the slaughtering people comment._

_Hey, if the Avatar disappeared for one hundred years, and this kid is supposed to be that same Avatar, how old would you say he is Kurama?_

**"I'd say about one hundred and twelve tops chronologically, as I said before we're both old farts compared to this kid no matter if he's older than everyone here excluding you and I. I've got at least four thousand years on you Kit, where you have at least five thousand years on this little gaki."**

_That would make since…he's like me in that aspect I guess, we're both much older than we actually appear._

"**You're only as young as you feel Kit, even though I'm chronologically old I feel spry as hell."**

_My sentiments exactly Kurama. _

As the Waterbending ceremony concluded with a monumental display of skill and finesse, there was literally no one in the room in the room not clapping; Naruto himself clapped lightly to get on the good side of the guards on each side of him.

Deciding not to wait any longer and to be noticed at long last, Naruto walked over to the man not as elderly as the one leading the demonstration; but a great deal older than the youths who had locked eyes with him before. Due to the fact that he had walked past the vicinity of the guards, they were quick to try to restrain him before he got within twelve steps of their Chieftain; only for one to be thrown to the left casually and for the other to judo flipped over the blonde's right shoulder. A few gasps echoed across the hall as several Waterbenders including the eldest man stood in front of their Chieftain, ready to attack this strange newcomer at any waking moment.

"You'll have to forgive me for that small display of physical violence Chieftain Arnook, your guards were starting to get a little too touchy feely for my own tastes. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, a villager from the small town of Boroshi of the Earth Kingdom; a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Naruto said casually, his arms crossed as his robe slightly fluttered as a breeze passed by. Their seemed to be tension in the hall now, many suspicious and wondering eyes looked upon the peculiar visitor with much question. The eldest man stood forward amongst his pupils, gazing at Naruto with a rather disdainful look.

"Forgive us if we don't seem to be hospitable, but people rarely address themselves to Chieftain Arnook without first being addressed themselves; not only that but they do not casually use violence on our guards when they are restricted from approaching our leader." Pakku answered in a demanding tone, while the Sage reacted with an almost challenging smirk in response.

"As I said, I'm not one for being detained; regardless of who is doing it and for whatever reason. As I have stated before, I am of foreign nature to your Tribe, I have come here seeking to meet the Avatar; my usual nature is that of a traveling warrior, when I heard of the return of the Messiah of this world I made it my duty to seek him out. The rumors that passed through the wind told me that this would be his next visit, I can see such tales were not wrong." Naruto stated as he looked back with his one good eye to gaze in Aang's direction, the Avatar's face not as suspicious as the others, still maintained a look of question about it.

"How do you know of our Chieftain's name? You could be a Fire Nation spy sent here to either assassinate Arnook or the Avatar himself, your physical appearance is enough to draw question." Pakku almost angrily retorted, to which Naruto laughed in a castoff manner in response; infuriating the Waterbending Master further. Brushing his hair out of his face, Naruto turned his back to Pakku and to the attention of the table where the Avatar and his company were sitting.

"I learned the name of your Chieftain from your guards, who sought to detain me immediately upon my appearance. I can only imagine the word of the Avatar's travels gave you time to welcome him with open arms given his status, while I have been treated only with suspicion thus far; it is understandable given how I would say I am very physically different from most people, but it is not entirely inexcusable. Tell me elderly one, are the people of this Tribe so openly hostile to foreigners? I know you have a right to be suspicious of me and my intentions but your actions seem a bit…xenophobic, to be precise." Naruto quipped in almost arrogant tone, much to the Kyuubi's delight. While the Sage himself had no desire to cause immediate trouble with the group he was supposed to be spying on, he couldn't help but poke fun at their faults while he had the chance. Before Pakku could open his mouth to defend himself, Arnook stepped forward from the guards who defended him, ready to address the newcomer.

"You'll have to forgive our welcoming entourage, the Northern Water Tribe does not often have many visitors; and as you mentioned beforehand, the status of the newly awakened Avatar gave us reason to prepare beforehand. Tell me strange traveler, by what means of transportation did you arrive here?" Arnook questioned, as the blonde smiled underneath his mask, turning to face the Chieftain of the Tribe.

"As I said to your guards, I swam here; the waters grew ever so frigid through my way here, once or twice I nearly passed out from exhaustion where the cold water would claim me; but my desire to see the Avatar proved more than enough to allow me to endure for miles upon end. When I feel the need to see something through, I will do it without hesitation; that is the way it has always been for me." Naruto retorted calmly, earning a few small gasps from the room as well as many questioning looks of disbelief and further suspicion. To swim for so long in the open ocean without drowning, passing out from exhaustion, getting eaten by sharks or dying from hypothermia in such a large body of water for miles upon end seemed almost inhuman. Sokka was the most skeptical of anyone in the room, standing up to address the foreign man himself.

"And how do we know you're telling the truth? You could've made your way here with a proper boat." Sokka shouted out loud, earning a small look from his sister in the process. Naruto chuckled in response and turned his head halfway to look at the boy with the pigtail.

"The guards who I encountered at first can vouch for me having no boat, they saw me spring from the waters upon the docks firsthand. If you travel with the Avatar, than you should know that I did not have the luxury of having to ride upon my personal flying bison to get here; a strange creature that one, I've seen a lot of marvels of nature in my day but that one seems more than a bit special." Naruto added, remembering the shaggy creature he passed on the way to the hall. At first he thought the creature to be some sort of flying fluffy dragon, until he noticed the mammalian features upon its face that separated it from being connected to any reptilian heritage. It looked like a noble creature despite a rather simple demeanor that set itself upon its face, he would've liked to go over to it and feel it's fur, but he didn't want throw the guards like ragdolls so early on into his visit. Arnook coughed slightly to interrupt the small awkward silence put between Sokka and Naruto, gaining the attention of the golden haired youth.

"Naruto, was it? If what you claim is true that you indeed swim all the way here, you are either a very determined man or a very crazy one; nonetheless I can respect such willpower. As you have come to know, I am Chieftain Arnook, leader of the Northern Water Tribe. It is a pleasure to meet such a unique looking person outside of this Tribe; I must say that your physical appearance is very much an enigma in relation to our own people." Arnook chuckled with a smile as he extended his hand as a sign a friendship, to which Naruto firmly clasped to shake with respect. Pakku rolled his eyes at his Chieftain's typical trusting behavior; the Avatar was a noteworthy exception to extend humility and respect to; but for such a strange looking foreigner to show up announced with no attempt at earlier word of an expected arrival shouldn't have been accepted so gingerly. Naruto flipped some of his long golden hair out of the way of his mask, looking at the Chieftain straight in the eye with an adamant look underneath his mask.

"Chieftain Arnook, it doesn't take an observant eye to know that ever since I've entered this Tribe I have been looked at very strangely and with much suspicion; this is excusable given my rather peculiar appearance and having no relationship with either Water Tribe whatsoever. However, such suspicion and xenophobia are the key benefactors that aid wars against people of different ethnicities; I suggest you keep this in mind in the future." Naruto determinedly stated, as many eyebrows narrowed in anger and even further suspicion against him. Pakku was the strongest among them to glare at Naruto, something the blonde returned with his one good azure eye. Yue herself did not know what to think of this strange man, rather wanting to know himself than judge him solely on the fact that he was a foreigner.

"You should hold your tongue boy; such direct impudence to our Chieftain himself is near inexcusable; especially for one outside our Tribe." Pakku stated angrily, but Naruto did not falter.

"It is not impudence, if anything it is the exact opposite; it is wisdom. I've given your Chieftain advice on how to deal with people outside of his homeland, perhaps if more people have followed what I have stated the war with the Fire Nation would die down a bit due to a time built upon considerable patience and respect for a person's heritage regardless of ethnicity." Naruto retorted with a small bit of fire present in his voice, as Pakku's glare on continued strengthen under Naruto's words.

"As a show of good faith to this Tribe, under your permission Chief Arnook I would like showcase a demonstration of skill to entertain you all. Your previous ceremony was to welcome the Avatar himself who now sits in your midst, allow me to honor the strength of your Tribe with my own skills." The youthful Sage quipped, earning a challenge look from Pakku.

"And what makes you think we desire a demonstration of your 'skills'? This Tribe is full of elite Waterbenders under my tutelage, I doubt whatever skills you have or are of much importance in relevance to our own strength." Pakku practically smirked, earning a small glare from Katara in the distance. She did not want to judge the man she would come to ask to teach her further Waterbending Arts, but he reminded her much of the chauvinism her own Tribe had displayed for a long while; her brother had been much more of a sexist previous to their departure, but had grown to respect the strength of women following their meeting with the Kyoshi Warriors led by a woman named Suki.

"My father and mother, Abadd and Nihana, are both an Earthbender and Waterbender respectively. They taught me much before I left my village before my departure as a traveling warrior; I alone also possess what the villagers of Boroshi called a 'pure physical strength'. I am physically very powerful and I possess adequate control over two of the Elements, maybe you should reserve judgment of my skills after you actually see them, Oji-san." Naruto chuckled challengingly, still sticking to the fabrication of his background while making up the names of a fake mother and father on the fly. Pakku raised an eyebrow at the last word Naruto had used; something the blonde mentally cursed himself from uttering.

"Oji-san? What kind of word is that, and what language does it hail from? Certainly none that I have ever heard of." Pakku stated with a slight tone of frustration in his mind. Naruto rolled his eyes as he prepared to make another excuse, though it what he was about to tell wasn't a 'complete' lie to say the least.

"The villagers of Boroshi are somewhat secluded from the events relating to the war between the Fire Nation and the world, they live in a world enveloped in the past and ensnared in tradition; the very reason why I left. From what I know, my time in Boroshi educated me with a rather old dialect of the Earth Kingdom; something that nearly all of the people I've come across in my travels are unfamiliar with. And to answer your question, Oji-san means 'old man'; which if I have not gone blind in my other eye, I can tell at which you are." Naruto laughed, as many gasps of shock echoed across the halls as Pakku himself grew ever so angry with the newcomer at hand.

"Old man? It is apparent your village did not teach you much in respecting your elder's boy, you shall refer to me as Master Pakku while you stay in our premises." Pakku snapped somewhat infuriated.

"I have not come to know you as a Master, nor did I learn what I have gained under your tutelage; you are no Master to me until you prove your superiority over me." Naruto casually responded, as veins began to throb from Pakku's head impatience.

"Is that a challenge boy?" Pakku retorted.

"No, merely a statement, I have no wish to fight someone like you, not out of fear, but simply because there would not be much honor in it. Chieftain Arnook, have you considered my offer?" Naruto said as he casually shrugged off another argument with Pakku, earning an intensified glare from the Waterbending Master as the Chieftain considered the youth's request. Sighing softly, Chieftain Arnook nodded his head softly for Naruto to begin, much to the shock and displeasure of Pakku.

Naruto turned to greet his crowd and bowed with his hands folded in an honorable manner. He walked over casually to where the Waterbenders led by Pakku had performed their ceremony, and slowly entered a fighting stance. Turning his back to his audience, Naruto slammed his right foot so hard against the ground it shattered it, the same act happened with his left foot shortly after. Raising his both of his arms slowly towards the ceiling as they shook and concentration, the area began to softly rumble as the noises grew ever louder. As the sounds grew ever louder, some the guards began to lose their balance, as those who were sitting down including the Avatar started to fall to their sides.

_Shit…this is slightly more difficult than I remember…_

**"Giving up already Kit?"**

_Hardly, but Bending the powers of Nature on a whim without a Release Technique enabled before such a demonstration of power isn't exactly easy. Hell, I hardly remember anyone from our time doing such things often._

**"Don't tell me you're gonna start pulling excuses out of your ass as to why you can't do things?"**

_As if! Let's show em what we can do!_

Naruto growled slightly as he concentrated further, sinking his feet deeper into the broken ice below him for support. Then suddenly, like a roar of thunder echoing in the clouds, a large pillar made of sheer ice rocketed from the ground, nearly devastating the stadium which he was based on as well as almost colliding with ceiling. Many eyes were now widened in awe, while others still maintained a look of skepticism, most notably Pakku and Sokka.

Extending his hands forward, Naruto's fingers shook as they literally began to mold and weave a shape within the pillar from the inside out. An equally large figure began to form inside the ice, much to the shock of all those present, even Pakku. What Naruto was performing was a sort of indirect Waterbending, literally crafting the inside of the ice with the essence of water to form the shape he wanted on a whim. At first it had appeared the boy was merely concentrating for another Earthbending display, when in reality he had been discretely Waterbending immediately after his impressive display.

**"What are you making Kit? Or should I say, who are you making?"**

_One of the women I saw sitting down earlier…with any luck, they'll like this sort of treat._

**"Crushing on the Water Nation girls already Kit?"**

_Of course not, just finding a way to honor them as well. Though I have to admit, both of those girls were actually really pretty…_

**"Ha, so much for not falling for them."**

_Shut it Kurama. With any luck the one I'm forming is the one guards kept on calling Princess Yue, I'm figuring that it might be the one with the white hair and the noble clothing, that seems like the best guess to go on so far._

**"And if it isn't?"**

_Than I hope they like massive ice sculptures of their women, cause they're about to get one!_

Naruto clenched his teeth as he focused putting on the finishing touches the unseen statue, memorizing the physical attributes and appearance of the silver haired girl he had seen in his time in the dining hall. Clenching his fists to finish the artwork, Naruto released his grip on the inner figure, and took a moment to regain his composure. After about seven seconds Naruto took a running start at the statue, as several eyes widened with surprise at the sudden physical rush. Leaping forward at his target, Naruto let out a small but fully voiced battle cry as punched the pillar with a considerable amount of his strength behind the blow; a very small but visible shockwave emitted from the tower of frozen water as a result.

As the Sage stepped back ten paces from the pillar, at first nothing seemed to occur, but within the next seven seconds large cracks began to show themselves present in the tower. In no time at all, crack of all shapes and sizes started to appear all over the pillar; the sounds of bending and breaking ice rippled through the room like a drop of water in a pond. Within the next twenty seconds the pillar rapidly crumbled apart, large chunks of ice shattering against the ground as each section broke away.

As the dust by the falling tower cleared, a figure was visible amongst the mist. When the cloud itself had all but been dispersed, therein stood a fifteen foot statue of the Northern Water Tribe's own Princess Yue. There were several gasps as well as numerous 'ahhs' of wonder at the practically flawless of replica of the royal beauty herself; not one detail about the statue was wrong, it reassembled Yue to a key. The facial features seemed almost alive despite it being obviously inanimate, the 'clothes' adorning the statue had actually been created using a separate line of coating by blending water with ice. Even the Princess's rather complex hairstyle was integrated perfectly into the mix, everything standing where it should be.

Naruto turned to face his audience proudly, lightly bowing before them in response to the silence. Yue herself was the first one to begin clapping, albeit lightly, but when the other members present were witnessing that their Princess herself had been entertained by the performance, they began to cheer as well; even Pakku lightly applauded Naruto's skill, so he did not do so without the slightest bit of hesitation.

_So cool! This guy's an awesome bender! Earthbending and Waterbending with such quick precision and talent…maybe I should ask him to be my Earthbending teacher? If we're really lucky, maybe he'd even want to come with us after we're done here._

_Pfft, I could've done that…if I could Earthbend…or Waterbend…or Bend at all…whatever._

_That certainly was quite impressive, apparently this guy wasn't bluffing when he said he was talented in Earthbending and Waterbending…but how in the world did he Waterbend that statue from the inside out? I didn't even think something like that was possible, maybe Master Pakku can do it, but I'm not sure if he could shatter a pillar of that size with one punch alone…which also proves Naruto's physical strength is quite prominent as well._

Such were the thoughts of the Avatar and his entourage, Naruto hadn't looked any of them directly in the eyes as they pondered his skill; but he could just imagine their surprise to begin with. The girl with the white hair seemed particularly impressed by Naruto's performance, which would quickly prove to be a benefactor in his favor. Arnook walked up to Naruto while slowly clapping, bowing lightly to the Sage out of respect, to which Naruto returned the gestured with a similar kowtow.

"It appears your strengths were not false claims Naruto, you truly do have all the talents you described, of both Bending two of the Arts and possessing immense physical strength as well. Not only have you proven to me that you are indeed the warrior you claim to be, you honor me and this Tribe by presenting a gift as lovely as this, a statue carved of Earthbending and Waterbending together to create an exact replica of Princess Yue, my very daughter and future leader of this village." Arnook smiled heartily as he bowed to Naruto once more out of respect, to which the Sage looked at Yue out of the corner of his azure eye.

"**The Chieftain's daughter huh? Looks like your deduction was correct Kit, and a thumpin' good guess it was too; you lucked out for once boy."**

_I'm surprised it sat so well with him…while some father's would be impressed by such an action others would probably be pissed that I used my powers to create a replica of their daughter._

**"I don't why he would be angry, it's not like you made the statue ugly or insulting or anything like that. And besides, it's not like you're hitting on her…yet."**

_Do you really have to come to the assumption that I'm trying to get with her? I'll admit, she's very pretty and most likely a good person if her father is this nice, but I'm not trying to sweep the Princess of her feet or anything like that._

**"Well given that the fact that you were supposed to have nine wives back in our time, I've pegged you as something as a mortal playboy."**

_Gee thanks._

**"Hey, the most powerful Demon of all time just acknowledged you have significant prowess over the opposite sex…you're probably the first and only mortal who will ever receive such a compliment, be grateful for it."**

_You make a good point, thanks Kurama, for real._

Naruto began to walk over to the now standing Princess Yue, who herself was pacing towards the blonde's direction. As their paths met, Yue looked up at the tall figure and stared at the azure and pale green eye underneath a rather intimidating mask. The Princess bowed lightly out of respect, much to the shock to some of the royals and Pakku himself. Naruto placed his right hand against his chest and bowed in return, staring into the azure eyes of the white haired beauty.

"Thank you for your demonstration Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, the skill you've demonstrated is most talented; the combination of two of the Arts in such unison I have never seen before, it was a wonderful demonstration. Nor have I ever witnessed such physical strength before, not even from our mightiest warriors; and being able to create a statue from within Waterbending is equally impressive."

" I also must thank you for your gift, you didn't have to make a statue of me though, you could've made one of anyone here, but I don't mean to sound ungrateful though; once more, thank you." Yue said softly, her blue eyes staring into the stranger's face. Her voice was as lovely and soft as the petals of a Sakura blossom, Naruto stared at the girl from behind his mask and he was reminded of the strong but gentle determination of Hyuga Hinata; one of the woman who would've become one his brides, and more notably was one of the women from the very beginning who had always admired him from afar. The thoughts of his pale eyed mistress both hurt and enthralled him, he blushed slightly underneath his mask while thinking of his Hyuga lover, remembering her fond embrace all too well.

"You are too modest, Yue-hime, while it is good that you have a sense of self-modesty, always remember that you yourself deserve as much praise as anyone else. You'll have to forgive me though Yue-hime, I wasn't able to replicate your shape completely. While I will admit that my own work is impressive it is but a flawed duplicate of the original model, which if I may so is much more beautiful in comparison." Naruto stated somewhat meekly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment; while in truth he would've been the husband of nine different females in his past life, he still considered himself to be terrible at terms that came to romance. The Sage also remembered that when he gave compliments to a woman he had thought he loved, Haruno Sakura, he squinted in remembrance of the painful beatings he had taken when he uttered a word of praise. Naruto wasn't one to judge, but he didn't think Yue would be the type of woman to slug him when given a compliment, even if it was a half-assed, cheesy one.

Despite his own doubt of his way with women, the silver-haired Princess now displayed a deep blush of her own, somewhat daunted that the mysterious man had complimented her so. She would never openly admit it, but she often desired a straightforward romance. So many men of her Tribe had never been open with her about their feelings do the watchful and often overprotective eyes of her bodyguards, and many of the males were even meeker in approaching their own Chieftain to confess their feelings for his own daughter. Pakku had continued to glare ever so eagerly in Naruto's direction for trying to step outside his station, while Sokka also shot off a look that contained skepticism and a hint of anger, but its' true intention with that of immediate jealousy.

Aang, while biologically one hundred and twelve years old still had the mind of a mere child, and did not exactly register any romantic tension due his childhood ignorance; while Katara on the other hand like anyone else had fully registered what was going on. She couldn't help but smirk and stifle a chuckle in response to her brother's quite obvious infuriation, but then she couldn't help but wonder if the blonde truly meant to compliment her in such a way or it was in fact unintentional and a clumsy come on at best.

Coughing lightly to break the tension and silence in between them, Naruto extended one of his hands towards the Princess, to which she took without hesitation as the two shared a firm but gentle handshake. After the physical contact had passed, Yue looked up to the foreigner with question in her eyes.

"Um, excuse me Naruto, but what does 'hime' mean? Is that another word of the dialect that your town of Boroshi used? I only say such things because like Master Pakku, that is another word that sounds most unfamiliar." Yue stated gently to the Sage, as Naruto smiling behind his mask the whole time.

"You are correct to assume that word belongs to that ancient language, in Boroshi the term 'hime' means Princess; which factually, you are. I not only used this term to be correct in my standing to you, but as a compliment as well. As you can imagine from my description Boroshi was not exactly a village adorned with nobles, all the villagers of that town including myself do not have any royal status whatsoever; so usually calling someone 'Hime', usually a girl mind you, would be a term to show respect, and sometimes endearment." Naruto finished calmly, before Yue could open her mouth to respond she was interrupted by a rather cumbersome caught off from a certain Southern Tribe boy.

"Keep your hands where I can see em, pretty boy! You're speaking to the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe; she doesn't need some weirdo foreigner trying to mosey up to her." Sokka rudely interrupted, pointing a finger right in between Naruto's mask to Yue's shock and to his sister's dismay. He was quickly pulled away by the ear by his sister who proceeded to practically chuck him down in his seat and give him and icy glare before turning to face Naruto.

"You'll have to forgive my brother Sokka, he unfortunately learned his 'manners' from more than half of the men at my Tribe before they went off to fight; such traits include a chauvinism that is recently starting to decline within him, but more prominently rudeness to complete strangers. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, as I said beforehand you've already had the unfortunate honor of meeting my brother Sokka; and this is Avatar Aang, the newfound protector of this world." The young Inuit woman said, gesturing to her scowling brother, herself and Aang throughout the midst of her sentence. Aang was the next one to introduce himself, greeting Naruto with a customary bow and looking up at him with rather curious, childish envy.

"How did you do that half that stuff you displayed just a moment ago? It was really, REALLY awesome! Your parents must've been really good trainers in order for you to harness such skills!" Aang somewhat energetically exploded, startling Naruto a bit as he casually took a step back. He knew his skills were impressive in the standards of the Benders of this time, but he honestly didn't expect such a small display of his power to have this big of an impact.

That and the fact that the person who was made out to be the scourge of the Earth by Azula seemed to be even more of a child than he had descriptions of beforehand, it seemed more than one hundred years of being absent from the world had not influenced this boy's maturity; the persona he was displaying so far reminded him much of a combination of his deceased friends Rock Lee and Konohamaru.

"A rather chipper little savior, aren't you?" Naruto joked as he squinted his eyes observing the boy's mannerisms, to which Aang rubbed the back of his head in an embarrassed fashion; Yue attempted to get another word in but was interrupted once more by Sokka who this time remained seated.

"Just a question tough guy, what're you wearing that mask for anyway?" Sokka inquisitively asked, receiving the almost expected narrowing of eyes from Katara.

"To hide my face, I thought that's what masks did?" Naruto casually retorted, earning a small chuckle from Yue and Katara in the process. Aang tried to stifle a bit of a snort at Naruto's rather blunt answer but had to let off a small giggle despite Sokka's continued infuriation.

"Cute, I thought I was the only person who used sarcasm." The Southern warrior replied.

"I wasn't being sarcastic; you asked a question, I gave you an answer." The youthful ancient stated, causing Sokka to facepalm and look towards Naruto once again with skepticism.

"What I meant was what exactly are you hiding your face for? Are you ugly or something?" Sokka snorted as began to snicker, earning a smack to the back of the head from his sister. The blonde laughed casually, sighing slightly at the boy's rather moot point. Naruto himself remembered when he had thought the same of Madara even before he had begun to question his false identity as Tobi, of who was behind the mask and what they looked like to begin with.

And even when his true name had come to be known and the mask had been shattered, he had admitted that the end result was a pit anticlimactic to what his own expectations. Behind all that power, ingenuity and bravado Uchiha Madara, the real identity of the one called Tobi, was nothing more than a bitter and resentful old man was an unfulfilled grudge against the world. It would've been funny if it wasn't so pathetic, but Kurama had laughed about the irony of it regardless.

"Funny, I had processed the very same thought about people who wear masks in my earlier years of traveling, what I learned is that sometime what you expect to be under it can either a very astonishing secret or a very anticlimactic build up. If I had to give an opinion about myself under this mask is that I don't consider myself to be a handsome rogue persay, but just a bit over what females and some males think of physically attractive." Naruto stated in a modest tone, not wanting to come off as an arrogant prig in front of any of the inhabitants of the Northern Water Tribe; especially their Princess.

"Well, at least you're level-headed about your appearance, unlike a certain someone I know." Katara added smugly while smirking at Sokka, who proceeded to stick his tongue out in retribution. Naruto chuckled softly but then noticed that there was a certain closeness between himself and Princess Yue, something the guards had started to take note of as they began to walk to his sides; only to be stayed by Yue's hand.

"Pardon me for my physical intrusion of your space Naruto, but may I ask a favor of you?" Yue questioned, the Sage nodding slightly in response.

"May I…touch your hair? I've never seen someone with the color of your hair in all my life, nor have I seen a person's hair grow to the length yours has, as my father said, it is quite an enigma amongst my people. If you don't want me to, I understand." Yue asked softly, as Naruto's eyes shone slightly in his own further remembrance of Hinata due to the modesty, beauty and almost shyness of this Princess.

"Um, I hate to intrude, but is it okay if I do the same if allow Princess Yue to? For curiosity's sake is all, my reasons are the same as her Highness's." Katara commented, approaching the blonde at a similar physical radius as well. Unlike Sokka who was currently fuming at Yue's early fascination with this strange foreigner, Aang didn't interpret Katara's curiosity as anything romantic; heck, even he wanted to feel what this guy's hair felt like eventually.

"I have no problem with either of your respective interests, you may both do you what you want." Naruto replied calmly, earning small head nods from both Water Tribe women alike.

Yue started feeling the long strands of golden locks between her soft fingertips on the right of Naruto, while Katara carried out the same motions on the opposite side of the mystery youth. Naruto closed his eyes calmly as the two began to stroke his hair ever so softly, as he let out a small but content side as the motions of their hands through his follicles continued. Many of the nobles were now giving Naruto questioning and even infuriated looks at how he managed to conjure such respect and curiosity out of their fair Princess; while not smitten with the young man, she had certainly showed a fair amount of interest in him.

After about half a minute of feeling Naruto's hair, the two women ceased their motions, both baring satisfied looks on their faces.

"I take it I have satiated your curiosity ladies? Forgive me if my hair was rather frigid, my tales about swimming here are not false I assure you." Naruto said as he chuckled to himself, while had not swam the full distance he had claimed to have; he still considered swimming even a mile in the icy waters quite unpleasant, even with the Kyuubi's chakra coating his body with its heat.

"Thank you for indulging us Naruto, and I must say your hair is quite…softer, than I expected. Given that it's so long and is rather spiky I expected to be quite frigid even when not introduced to cold waters, but its texture has surprised me rather pleasantly; I find it quite soft, silky even." Yue stated as she put a finger to her chin trying to describe the feel of it, as Katara turned to her in agreement.

"Yeah, I was just about to say the same thing; it is quite soft given its appearance, personally given how long and how much of it there is, I actually thought it might've felt a bit shaggier…like Appa's fur." Katara commented while chuckling slightly, as Naruto gave an expression of mock hurt underneath his mask.

"So I am comparable in texture to your flying bison now? What an honor." Naruto said as he feigned being insulted, earning a bit more laughter out of the group, even Sokka had to chuckle a bit at the notion. Naruto focused his attention to Aang now, looking at him dead in the eye with a certain tone of seriousness about him.

"Aang, wasn't it? I have heard many tales about you Avatar, some marvelous and some demeaning, but even before your return I was familiar with your legacy; my own mother and father often told tales to the children of my village that the Avatar would return someday to save the world, and spread a light that would penetrate the darkness of war. I have come across rumors in my travels that you are not exactly a Bending Adept like your predecessors, most notably Avatar Roku, if such tales are true I presume that you have come here to perfect your Water Bending from the Masters here?" Naruto inquired while once more half lying of how he heard of this Avatar's lack of experience. No one seemed to be making accusatory remarks about his background or if the town of Boroshi was in fact a fictional location, so his string of white lies could continue unaltered for the moment.

"For the most part I think I've nearly got my Waterbending down, I just need the skills of a well-versed Waterbender to help completely hone my skills in that area. But in response to your earlier statement, yeah, my friends and I did come to here to hopefully find tutelage for me under the expertise of a Master." Aang replied cheerfully, intent on asking for Pakku to take him under his wing as soon as possible.

"I see…tell me Avatar Aang, persay you eventually do learn all you need to confront Fire Lord Ozai, will you do what must be done in order to end his reign over this world?" Naruto questioned with a small smirk underneath his mask, already knowing Aang's obvious answer. Yue and Katara both drew concerned looks on their faces, knowing full well what Naruto was referencing.

"If you're asking me whether or not I'd consider killing Ozai, the answer is no; I will not use my powers to take a life." Aang replied somewhat sharply, a small tone of offense presence in his voice; much to Naruto's delight.

"Truly? No matter the cost? Even when living in such a small settlement like Boroshi, I knew full well of Ozai's atrocities committed upon this Earth; so many have been persecuted by him, and so many more have died by the command of endless soldiers under his wing. You do realize if you do indeed spare Ozai, your reputation as the Avatar might not exactly be saved? After all, letting the very man who's caused so much death and destruction upon the land and so many thousands of people live to see another day will most likely you many more enemies than you already have." Naruto stated factually, earning a very small glare from Katara in the presence whom was willing to stand up for her friend.

"Aang isn't a murderer; he does not take a life of a person who takes life to seek an end of justification. I was taught that revenge was petty where I came from, and actively seeking to cause pain to one person who wronged you was a shallow act within itself." Katara retorted calmly, not wanting to cause any tension between her and Naruto but wanting to defend Aang's beliefs as well.

"Murdering and killing are two completely different things Katara, murdering is done by spilling the blood of an innocent, killing is often done to end the life of your enemy who should be punished for his or her crimes upon the Earth and to be brought to a permanent justice in which their evil is forever silenced. And revenge in itself isn't completely petty, granted that if you lose focus of who you were out to destroy originally and make the world your target instead, than revenge is very petty in that retrospect. However, focused and properly motivated vengeance can often benefit more than just yourself; it will most likely benefit others as well." Naruto replied.

"And you'd use such excuses to justify the means to an end to kill someone? Isn't that somewhat above our stations as humans? To be a Judge, Jury and Executioner to another person seems to be beyond our station…those who've stepped beyond such boundaries have ended up like Ozai." Yue remarked softly, knowing full well the burden that war had brought upon both her people and the people of the world itself.

"Ozai's goal within itself wasn't inherently wicked at first; he seeks what his grandfather Sozin did, unification between the Four Nations. I've read of Sozin's time on Earth and how he started this one hundred year war to begin with, his goals were admirable but his intention in seeing them through was corrupt; you cannot force people under unity, such a process takes time and patience, clearly which Sozin had none of. It pains me to see such a mistake repeated through the leadership of his own grandson, who like his own father the former Fire Lord Azulon has not learned from Sozin's mistakes."

"Usually only the Spirits or whatever God a person believes in alone has the duty of being a Judge, Jury and Executioner to a mortal in his or her afterlife; however I have realized over time that sometimes such things need to be done through a person's hands alone, despite whatever emotional conflict with it they have. In my travels I have encountered many people who couldn't be dissuaded for their often vile endeavors, more than half of whom crossed paths with me in the most violent of ways. Often, I did not wish for conflict, but I almost had no choice in the matter to begin with. When my hand was force sometimes I chose to kill the people who I believed would not change themselves, with hearts so black that they rivaled the darkness of the night."

"I am my own Judge, Jury and Executioner; and I will not be bound a moral code relating to Deities of any sort in order to restrain from not doing what must be done." Naruto adamantly finished, earning a good share of gasps from those around him listening in to their conversation; while Yue and Katara themselves both bore looks of both shock and awe upon their faces. Aang himself looked conflicted about Naruto's words, where Sokka's glare of skepticism just continued to have reason to grow.

"So you've killed people before…charming." Sokka stated adding his two cents into the conversation, trying to lighten the somewhat grim mood.

"Often when I had no other choice, some people who are kept alive to be given chances at redemption often do not learn of the error of their ways and repeat their mistakes; restarting a cycle of tragedy and misfortune upon all they come across. I have often ended such wheels of fate, ending a cycle often damned to repeat itself." Naruto replied.

"Aren't you worried the Spirits will judge you in your afterlife for taking on such a role? I cannot judge you for the things you believe to be right, your determination in your own cause is admirable if a bit frightening; but I can respect it." Yue added in, while Katara looked at the Water Princess with a look of question and surprise. She would've not thought that a person like Yue would vouch for someone to murder another, but she was quickly reminded that Yue never actually stated she approved of killing someone; just that she admired Naruto's determination of doing what he believed regardless of what other's thought of him for it.

"Katara has a point; your spirit could be condemned if you continue down your path." Aang put in worriedly, concerned for the well being of Naruto's soul. Even if he didn't agree with his methods, he had been brought to believe by his former mentor and teacher Gyasto that all life was sacred; regardless of their decisions while they were in mortal realm.

"If my earlier statement didn't make my view clear on Deities and religion, allow me to express it more thoroughly; I pray to no one. If there is a God, or if the Heavens do in fact exist; then they may judge as me as they fit once I enter their Realm, but before I do I shall commit my life to do what I believe is right regardless of whatever consequences I take with me in the next life." Naruto replied softly, earning a somewhat respectful smile from the Avatar in the process. Regardless whether or not Naruto's soul would be condemned in the eyes of the Heavens for his deeds on Earth, at least Aang could rest a bit easier knowing that the blonde was at least content with his actions and ready to face the judgment of any existing Deities upon his transfer to the Spirit World.

Sokka stepped forward ever so slightly, a questioning look upon his face that showed more curiosity than ill will for once. "Sooo…does that make you an atheist Naruto? I mean you said you prayed to no one, which would imply you do not believe in one true God or several Deities; but you're willing to accept said God or Gods judgment if they do truly exist once your soul transcends past the Earth. So with that in mind, what do you believe in?" The Southern Tribe warrior asked the Sage, who in response raised an eyebrow underneath his mask.

"You're much smarter than you let on Sokka, it's a clever disguise." Naruto replied in a half joking manner, earning a nod of agreement with Sokka; who only caught up with the fact that it could've been an insult five seconds afterwards.

"In relation to my own religious beliefs, I believe that I don't believe until I can see what the truth before me is; balancing faith with logic is quite the challenge, and many consider it often close to heretical. But I will do what I must, regardless of people's criticism or lack of acceptance." Naruto said.

Sokka nodded in his head with a look of acceptance upon it, finally coming to understand the blonde in some way despite his mysterious demeanor.

"Avatar Aang, you should go talk that man called Pakku; there is skill and experience in his eyes, if you are seeking tutelage from a Master I'd go to him." Naruto commented, as Aang nodded in agreement, walking over to address his apprenticeship to Pakku; Katara following right behind her Avatar friend in hopes of also learning under the guidance of a Waterbending Master.

Naruto turned his head to Yue and Sokka to seek a different topic that differed from stances on killing and religion, only to be interrupted by the sound of multiple trumpets. Several royal guards made their way into the dining hall; as several Water Tribe women followed in unison to welcome a coming royal into the midst of the nobles.

The figure who entered was a teenage boy similar in age to Sokka, though just from physical outlook of him there were several differences. He skin was a much lighter color than the dark tone of both Sokka and Katara's, applying a slightly different heritage from the Inuit's or perhaps an Inuit mother and Caucasian father or vice versa. His clothes like Yue's were of noble status, but his presence of being royalty had already literally announced itself for him to the point where no one wouldn't be able to tell he was a noble. The teen bore a strong cleft chin with blue eyes similar to Sokka's, but the look upon his face showed signs of possible conceit or vanity; something that Naruto had judged for himself.

Arnook was the first to welcome the new coming royal, walking up to him and bowing out of respect, which the teen did at least have the courtesy to return with a bow of his own. "Ah Lord Hahn, what a surprise to see you so early. I will admit it is most unexpected, I had been told that you were to arrive tomorrow." The Chieftain commented with the smallest bit of weariness in it that was detected by the nearby Sage, noting Arnook's rather tired sounding voice.

"I had tried to send word that I would be arriving sooner than expected Chieftain Arnook, unfortunately you must've been so preoccupied making way for the Avatar that you did not hear of my impending arrival. I'll let it go this time though, considering he is the Messiah of this world and all." Hahn scoffed as he feigned hurt, trying to force a laugh out of the room in the process. The teen looked at the Avatar for a moment, studying him almost, but then his attention to Yue upon the rather quick assumption that the newfound savior wasn't worth talking to. Hahn had expected a warrior of old, not a mere child; fighting alongside an Avatar who would be Roku's reincarnation had originally thrilled him, until he saw the rather jubilant demeanor of the boy who was supposed to be said Avatar.

As Hahn made his way to Yue, he practically pushed Naruto aside on his way to get to her, something that the Sage would've originally returned with his own less than pleasant words only to be reminded that he was trusted little enough by the people already; he didn't need to go bash a royal of theirs in order to gain further hostility.

"Ah my Princess Yue, you are looking as enchanting as ever. I must say our engagement has lasted a bit long for my tastes though, perhaps within the next few weeks we can be wed to unite under us the stars faster, does that not sound appealing to you?" Hahn almost suggestively implied, much to Sokka's annoyance as his eyebrows began to have seizures in response to this new coming teen's less than subtle approach. Naruto had to refrain from sighing heavily under Hahn's somewhat overbearing ego, to which even the physically distant Katara felt the slight taste of vomit in her mouth after feeling the arrogance of this new noble from literally ten feet away.

"I cannot w-wait my Lord Hahn…I look forward to the day when I can call you my…h-husband." Yue answered politely as she could, much hesitance and perhaps a bit of sorrow evident in her voice to both Naruto and Sokka. Hahn smiled like an eel and offered his hand to his Princess, to which he took her hand in his own and pressed his lips down upon her forehand; all the while Sokka resisted the urge to projectile vomit in Hahn's direction.

"I due ever look forward to the day where both Prince Hahn and Princess Yue lead this village under an honorable banner against the Fire Nation…it will be the first of my glorious feats to be led against that dog Ozai." Hahn proudly proclaimed while clenching a fist in an over exuberant passion, to which Arnook shook his head in the distance ever so slightly. Hahn then started to take note of the people around him, most notably the Southern Water Tribe members and the rather peculiar looking warrior who's presence in the hallway was most unpleasant to him.

"Chieftain Arnook, I must say that I'm rather surprised that you'd let the Southern Tribe rabble into the royal dining hall, even if they were in the company of the Avatar I heard about. And who is this rather unruly looking foreigner? One of the Avatar's accomplices or just a stranger with no place amongst our community?" Hahn laughed to himself haughtily, Sokka's incredibly short fuse was moments from going off and Katara herself was already shooting off one of the nastiest glares she could muster. Even Naruto himself had to shake his head at this boy, he had always resolved never to judge a person before all their cards were put on the table; but this arrogant noble had played a bad hand from the start.

Arnook felt the urge to resist facepalming and even Pakku was starting to become mildly annoyed. The old Waterbending Master knew that Lord Hahn would eventually become a Prince when his marriage to Yue would finally take place, in which by tradition he would eventually become Chieftain of the Northern Water Tribe following Arnook's passing. Pakku knew that the nobles often cared little about peasant from either their own Nation or the one from the Southern Water Tribe, but the way Hahn had cast the Avatar so casually annoyed him slightly. The only thing that seemed to save Hahn's character in Pakku's own mind was calling out Naruto's unknown presence.

Before the young Lord could further go on with his meager complaints he noticed a beautiful, ten foot tall ice sculpture that was the exact replica of his engaged. He looked it for a moment in considerable awe given the uncanny likeness, and that shot a smirk at Pakku much to the old man's surprise.

"Master Pakku, you didn't have to devote your skills to make such a gift for my engaged. Though I must admit, the detail in it is unusually refined, but I wouldn't expect any less from the Waterbending Master of the Northern Water Tribe." Hahn stated in a prideful fashion, only to be interrupted in his moment of bravado by the old man himself.

"I did not make this statue Lord Hahn; it did not come from my Bending. It was made by a combination of Earthbending and some type of internal Waterbending, the latter if which is very to witness even amongst our elite Benders. I cannot take credit for this work, if you look to thank anyone you may thank Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze, the 'unruly foreigner' you mentioned earlier." The Waterbending Master replied, to which Hahn's head whipped in Naruto's direction upon such a statement. Naruto himself was a bit surprised that the old man had admitted it was not his work and was even more surprised that the esteemed Master regarded his Bending with praise, perhaps Pakku did bear a since of honor and modesty after all, even if it was miniscule and hard to notice on the surface.

Hahn looked at Naruto with a stare that threatened to pierce through ice, but Naruto did not falter, standing his ground with a blank expression behind his mask. "If what Master Pakku says is true, then are you the one who has created this physical recreation of my Princess Yue. While I must admire your skills for such Bending expertise, I highly advise you remember your station amongst our people." Hahn venomously spat, to which Sokka felt the overgrowing desire to throw his boomerang at the direction of the noble prig.

"Pardon?" Naruto replied curiously.

"Princess Yue carries the blood of Water Tribe nobility inside her veins, and that blood will eventually be melded to bring honor to our Tribe. Remember that are not only but a peasant, but a foreigner as well; an attempt to draw closeness to my engaged is not only an offense to me but a disgrace to this Tribe in general." Hahn angrily retorted to Sage, whose fists started to clench in anger at the impudence this boy was giving him.

"I haven't tried to court Princess Yue as you claim; I have only treated her thus far with respect and sentimentality. The statue I made is supposed to be a sign of goodwill and respect towards your people, and even if I am a 'peasant' and a foreigner I have at least showed that I mean towards this community. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going for a walk to cool my head; your arrogance is so baffling that I truly am at a loss for words to continue this argument." Naruto huffed in a state of frustration, leaving the dining hall as calmly as he could. As soon as he was no longer within sight, Hahn began to chuckle and joke around with Arnook that the security must've been severely lacking to let such an 'unbalanced foreigner' into the tribe at all.

Sokka inched his head closer to Yue in order to get her attention, which she started to take notice of.

"Hey Yue, wanna go for a walk? If you don't mind me saying so, I really don't wanna be here anymore; things just got a little too uncomfortable back there for my tastes. Speaking of which, it looks like things might heat up again soon, so we might wanna bolt while we can." Sokka whispered as he comically motioned to Aang and Katara whose talk with Pakku was starting to sound like a small argument.

Yue nodded in agreement, and let one of the royal guards know that she was off to commence her daily walk; and that the Southern Water Tribe warrior had been invited to partake to keep her company. There were no objections of course due to the fact this was the Princess herself who wished to have company on a stroll, and Sokka luckily noted that Hahn seemed to be getting really involved with talking to a crowd of nobles about his 'regaling tales as a warrior'; much to the contented sighs of several young teenagers about his own age.

Once the duo was out of the hall and out in the open, Yue sighed heavily as their trek began. She had not expected Hahn's arrival so soon in comparison to her father's own surprise; she had preferred not to see him at all, but she knew it was her duty to accept the marriage for what it was regardless of her own personal feelings. Emotions such as want and desire were unfitting of a noble, that's what she was brought up to believe; but deep down she felt that if such traditions limited the role of her actual life itself, imprisoning her behind rules hundreds of years old.

Kicking up small pieces nonchalantly as they walked down the street, Sokka couldn't help but feel a slight bit guilty for Naruto and irritated at the situation Yue faced given the circumstances. The strange golden haired teen had apparently been treated with nothing but suspicion and with admittedly xenophobia since his arrival, while Sokka guiltily noted that he had been who had judged Naruto as such beforehand.

However, it appeared that Naruto was truly as modest and good hearted as he presented himself; throughout his time in the hall he had not been once impudent to Yue or Arnook, and treated them with notable respect. The only time he seemed only slightly challenging was when he conversed with Pakku, who Sokka was starting to see as a bit of a jerk, but not as much so as Hahn.

Sokka had heard of engaged marriages back in his own Tribe, how two noble families would often propose and a marriage between two of their children when they came to grow of age. To him, it seemed all sorts of wrong; that someone was destined to be together with someone who they wouldn't know for a good twenty years of their life until to end up with subservient servitude to a person who could be less than distasteful.

He still couldn't ponder it, how could a person as sweet and beautiful as Yue be married to a person as disgusting, conceited and arrogant as Hahn? He was obviously not the nicest person around, given how he had judged his sister, himself and Naruto before they even had spoken to him. But would really burned is how lightly Hahn was taking his engagement to the Princess herself, he made it sound like he was getting more out of the prospect of ruling the Tribe than being married someone like Yue…something that infuriated Sokka to no end.

Sokka had remembered of his previous time spent in his life before he and his sister found Aang in a block of ice, a time before the men went out to war to face Fire Nation forces. That several of them had tried to woo Katara before their departure due to the fact she was the most amiable female in the village near their own age, it wasn't that Sokka minded having an eventual stepbrother; what irritated was him was how lenient they were about it. That many of them just acted if Katara had already agreed to be in a relationship with them, despite her ever so obvious resistance to their advances. People who just assumed other's belonged to them pissed him off…more noticeably people like Hahn.

"Um…Princess Yue? That guy you're supposed to marry, Hahn…do you like him?" Sokka asked in a concerned note, wanting to get a straight answer from his Princess regardless of his directness. Sokka actually wasn't sure how tiptoe around such a question, and even if it was inappropriate to ask given his status of being a peasant to want to know such personal feelings, he damn well wasn't going to censor his own thoughts because of it. Yue sighed heavily once more as she folded her arms gently, stopping only for a moment but then continuing ahead of Sokka afterwards.

"It's not a matter of whether or not he holds my heart Sokka…it's a matter of respect for tradition and fulfilling my duty as one of the future leaders of this Tribe." The Water Tribe Princess responded in an almost monotone voice, not wanting to show any true feelings on the matter due to the fact she had been taught that as a royal she always may stay true to tradition and neutral on personal opinions.

"But shouldn't you start to question thing like that eventually Princess Yue? I mean no disrespect to in all this especially but…Hahn's kind of a jerk." Sokka exclaimed, earning a response from the Princess that he did not expect, a small chuckle. His eyes widened at the thought that he made her laugh, and seeing her smile made his heart skip a beat.

"I shouldn't be laughing, but I can't help it. Not many people usually have the stomach for challenging out royalty like you and Naruto do…it's quite amusing actually." Yue stated as he continued to giggle, sending butterflies rippling through Sokka's stomach. She was forced to calm herself down when several peasants who passed her and Sokka took note of her sudden outbreak of laughter, which seemed rather strange for the usually calm Princess Yue to have. Sighing a bit to regain her composure, Yue looked in Sokka's direction as they continued to walk down the path set in head of them.

"I shouldn't speak against his Lordship in any way, but my future husband is indeed a bit conceited; he often brags of the countless battles he's won and how he looks forward to leading this Tribe alongside me…but I truly wonder if that's the case. Lord Hahn honestly seems to be more interested in the status of ruling itself rather than truly being my husband…but enough of this talk, we shouldn't be having it; it's not my place to question his motives, my role is to follow and serve him." Yue said almost sadly as she continued to pace forward, momentarily leaving a disappointed Sokka behind as he stopped walking for a moment out of sadness himself.

_Damn it…there's gotta be a way to show Princess Yue that she should follow her own path regardless of these stupid traditions. The Spirits know full well such ancient ties have probably held back both of our Tribes for years in the things we could accomplish, our elders are just too stuck up with following rules their great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents set centuries ago._

I mean, she's already admitted that Hahn is a stuck up little brat of a ruler…kinda, in her own words. But if she knows that he's so conceited than why hasn't she asked Arnook to try to find her another suitor? Traditions be damned, if I was her in position; thank the Spirits I'm not, I'd try to find a much better husband than THAT.

As the two eventually made their way to the very end of the small city they came upon the docks where boats of both large and small sizes were kept, and the newest addition to the pier was Appa himself, who looked quite content after the long trip to rest for a bit. The sea shimmered upon the light of the sun shining in the horizon, with miles upon miles of ocean going on as far as the naked eye could see. Yue's eyes shone even brighter in the light than they did before, which caused Sokka to stare for quite a long moment before the Princess herself eventually noticed his gaze and giggled softly; the Southern warrior blushing scarlet as he turned his head to hide his shame.

One couldn't help but notice a rather tall figure next to Appa however; a certain sun-kissed haired male stood next the loveable beast scratching behind his ears gingerly. Taking this as a sign to start a conversation, Yue walked over to the large bison as it grumbled contently under Naruto's touch.

"What an amazing creature, surely you must have great fortune upon you to travel in its presence Sokka." Yue said as she looked up at the large mammal in awe, its brown eyes reflecting in the sun as hers did. She nervously reached out her hand to pet the creature, pausing at first due to reflex, before placing her palm on his nose where he mumbled happily, to which Yue couldn't help but smile widely in response.

"If by luck you mean being chased by Firebenders everywhere, than yes, we've been quite lucky." Sokka dryly commented, where both Naruto and Yue had to take a moment to chuckle at the boy's blatant but most likely truthful statement. Sokka turned his head in Naruto's direction, smirking at the long haired boy.

"I see you've met Appa, you two have it off real good already. Usually he's a bit apprehensive about strangers; you must have a thing with animals." Sokka smiled, whereas the Shinobi couldn't help but laugh at the irony of Sokka's statement.

"I have to admit, approaching this guy, I was wondering if he was going to be aggressive to me or not. Turns out, he's really just a loveable puppy, albeit a three ton, flying mammalian puppy. Upon getting to know this big goof, I gotta say that Aang is actually a pretty lucky guy to have him as a pet; it'd sure be awesome to have a friend like this to fly you everywhere at your leisure." Naruto stated casually, looking at Appa with a sincere smile filled with respect for the noble beast. It reminded him much of an actual Biju, just much less aggressive and not nearly as big; a sort of mini Biju in his own mind.

Looking at Yue in a state of concentration, the Princess could tell what was on his mind. It had to be addressed sooner or later, why not now?

"I'm sorry my engaged, Lord Hahn, treated with such callousness, Naruto. I know you did not mean to offend my Tribe in any way through your respect, Hahn unfortunately does not see the kindness that you have offered my people; he never did appreciate the skills and abilities of foreigners. It's a part of the royal family curse I'm afraid, nobles often judge those below their status of being unworthy of both their time as well as their people's; though even peasants are treated better than the foreigners, who are mainly seen as lice embedded within the skin of an animal." Yue sadly noted.

"You have no need to apologize to me Yue-hime; the dishonor was Hahn's, not yours. And I believe that even my actions were out of a personal attraction, I do not such emotions as offensive; love cannot be restrained by status, it is not so simple a thing to contain." Naruto smiled almost goofily, to which Yue blushed slightly at his words, both agreeing with his opinion and slightly awed by the fact that the boy would stand up for his emotions if he truly did feel such a way about her.

"You aren't afraid of being ridiculed and mocked by the nobility?" Yue asked inquisitively.

"Of course not, a title may instill status over a people, but man to man or woman to woman we are all of the same equal worth; not one of us is 'better' than anyone else. And, if I truly did have feeling for someone of noble blood like you, I would not hide them; love is not something that should be contained, nor should a person be ashamed of who they fall in love with." Naruto said once more, earning a slightly stronger blush from Yue in the process; but this one was more out respect than a physical embodiment of attraction.

"You are most wise Naruto and most kind as well; there should be more men like you in this Tribe, and in the world in general; perhaps then this war would've ended sooner. I must admit if I truly had the power to change tradition, my Lord Hahn would've not been made my suitor." Yue responded solemnly, earning a concerned from Sokka who gingerly put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. He felt a little disheartened about hearing Yue's praise for Naruto, but to him what was more important was just making sure she was happy. Naruto shook his head from side to sided, raising a fist clenched in determination as his other hand continued to stroke Appa.

"But you CAN change tradition Yue-hime; it's all a matter of willpower and belief, people like you cannot be restrained by petty rules that hold back the prowess of what your future can be. If you're the Princess you should be able to marry whoever you want, and you shouldn't have to put with a self-entitled moron like Hahn as a partner for the rest of your life." Naruto said passionately, surprising both Sokka and Yue at the blonde's sudden outburst. So many times Naruto had seen politics literally screw over so many good people in his past life; he now had the resolve to change that.

"Are you sure I can actually accomplish such things Naruto? For a Princess to step out of her station would be seen as an almost heretical gambit; not to mention the fact that just woman speaking out place within the Tribe is reason for ridicule." Yue replied, to which Naruto practically face palmed at the thought that such chauvinistic preferences were employed by people who from the future; where he thought the relationship between men and women by now would've been in even higher standing than it was in his time, instead, it had been downgraded considerably.

"Yue-hime, a peasant or Princess can accomplish anything they set their minds to; it just takes the resolve to those things through, you are no exception to that rule. Plus, this whole 'women can't do things men can' thing is really starting to get on my nerves; there were plenty of Earthbending women back in Boroshi who could wipe the floor with me if they wanted to." Naruto exclaimed half lying about his past, while Boroshi didn't exist he knew full well that a lot of the women from his actual past could've decimated him in a fight in his former state, now however, was a different picture to be had.

Yue paused for a moment, pondering Naruto's words for a short while, stopping only to stare at both him and the sunset in the distance. She smiled brightly as her head turned to the direction of the Sage once more, looking much more content now than she had before.

"Thank you for your advice Naruto, you've given me much to ponder. I'm not sure what I can do to change things around here if I can change anything at all; but I will at least try altering some of the laws of this Tribe when my rule is properly cemented into place." Yue replied gingerly, as both Naruto and Sokka smiled at hearing a refreshing statement for once in the day. Naruto yawned slightly, and looked to the direction that the royal hall would be from where he was standing.

"Yue-hime, I'm going to go see how Aang and Katara's talk is going with Master Pakku; if you two would want to come along then are you most welcome." Naruto said, to which Sokka somewhat nervously scratched the back of his head.

"A-actually…I was thinking of asking Princess Yue if she'd like to go for a small flight on Appa's back…since she's never flown before. Ya know, if she'd like to?" Sokka said as he forced out an awkward chuckle. Naruto raised an eyebrow suspiciously at first, and then he couldn't help but grin when he realized what Sokka was trying to do.

_He's trying to court her…even when we both know she has a fiancé…I don't whether or he's brave or stupid…_

"The same could be said of you Kit; you're being a bit hypocritical right now."

_At least I have the skill to back up claims, I don't think Sokka is exactly what we'd call a 'formidable opponent'; just look at him, I can tell you even before he draws a weapon his stance is sloppy._

"True enough I suppose." Yue stepped forward to voice her objection, clearing her throat softly. "Sokka…I don't think we should…"

"Why not?"

"Lord Hahn is my engaged…I don't think it would be proper of me to spend time with another man near his age on any level given our…relationship."

Sokka began to slump slightly before Naruto decided to add his own two cents in. "Well no one says your little skyward flight has to be a romantic picnic, why don't you just take a trip on in the wind as friends?"

"But won't my Lord Hahn take offense to even such a simple gesture like that?" Yue asked.

"Think about it this way Yue-hime, this can be your first step of self assertion, even if it's in a small way this could be doing something for yourself that you actually want; not what others want for you." Naruto replied, to which Yue began to smile slightly at the idea.

"V-Very well then…Sokka, I think I'll join you after all." Yue proclaimed, to which Sokka forced a halfhearted smile.

"Well then, I think I'll be off; you two play nice up there." Naruto commented casually, while both the Princess and the peasant blushed deeply at his implication. _Gee, thanks Naruto…'just as friends' isn't really going to help me teach her that Hahn's an idiot and she shouldn't be with him. With your 'mysterious helpful guy' performance she'll probably start to fall for you instead…girls always fall for the dark hero bit, Katara nearly did with Jet before she realized he was a moron._

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing Sokka's thoughts, to which the teens turned back to him in question where he waved gingerly to cover up any suspicion. _  
_  
As the Sage walked away, he couldn't help but glance over his shoulder to look at Yue upon Appa's back, who in turn had also turned her own head to look at him. Yue's blue eyes connected with Naruto's for about thirty seconds before Sokka finally managed to get Appa to take off much to his delight.

_…Such a strange man, but such a kind, wise one as well. No one has ever once tried to tell me I could be anything other than what my station demands, but he believes I have the potential to be whatever I seek to be. He isn't afraid of being singled out by the nobles despite being of no noble blood, and he follows the path he believes regardless of mocked or ridiculed along the way._

_And as anyone could plainly see, he clearly possesses admirable power without flaunting it or even having an overinflated ego behind it._

_Kind, respectful, powerful, modest, wise, tall and even a bit witty…if only Hahn possessed such qualities._

Even if the potential Naruto believes I have fails me and I am forever positioned to be a figurehead amongst my people, I would've at least wanted the privilege to be a wife to a man like that someday in my life; it would've been much more honorable than what is to come.

Yue's thoughts echoed across her mind, though the Water Princess was unaware that someone else had heard them. Naruto had gazed directly at Yue's eyes before she had taken to the sky with Sokka, and using his only mental prowess reading inherited by his training as a Sage allowed him to briefly access a door into the mindset of the Princess. He smiled brightly upon hearing her thoughts, and then began to jump twenty to thirty feet with each leap in the direction of the icy castle; while many onlookers looked on in awe at the incredible leaping boy. To them what he was performing was physically impossible for any human being, and to enact such a feat so casually was beyond amazing.

Within a time period ranging between two and a half minutes, Naruto landed softly at what was just beyond the top step that lead to the castle. The Sage still couldn't help but smile upon what he had learned from Yue's own mind. **"I take it your happy Kit?"**

_Why wouldn't I be Kurama?_

**"Maybe because the people of this land only know us as a peasant to that extravagant story of yours, and now they would highly doubt you if you just decided to reveal that your heritage consists within the background of two royal families; both of which are millennia's past."**

_True…_

**"Not only that, there's also the fact that we're hiding much more of us than what we appear to be, and we originate from Hi no Kuni, what these people know as the Fire Nation, which they probably hate the people of with extreme passion."**

_Again, true…_

**"So then why are you so damn happy?"**

_Hey, it'll all work out in the end, won't it? Besides, you and I both know that when the assault on this place happens two days from now that we'll be forced to reveal who we really are and what we're really capable of. Just imagine the looks of their faces when they see someone else being able to bend all four Elements on a whim other than their precious 'Messiah.'_

**"I'll agree with you there, that shit'll be funny."**

**"Can't believe I almost forgot that things usually work in our favor in the end nearly all the time, even if we fucked up everything up in the beginning…"**

**"Then again, there was that time where we failed to stop the utter destruction of the world through the hands of a genocidal, maniacal eighty year old man…"**

_REALLY bad example._

**"Hey, it was one of the only times I can think of where our fuck ups actually ended up ACTUALLY screwing us over than helping us; and considering how many times you've caused us to go up Shit Creek without a paddle, I'd say that's a pretty good scoreboard."**

_But that's one REALLY big loss, wouldn't you say?_

**"Beggars can't be choosers Kit."**

_I suppose…what do you think about Yue starting to like me?_

**"She said if the strength you believe she has yet to inherit fails, that she would've liked to marry someone like you instead of Hahn; that doesn't mean she likes YOU explicitly."**

_But doesn't that give off the implication that she'd at least be interested in me given the chance?_

**"I guess so…you know, if the first person who ends falling for you in this new world is a friggin' Princess, than I gotta say, things cannot possibly go wrong for the both of us in the future."**

_Glad to see we agree on that much at least._

**"Hey, self-proclaimed Messiah dead ahead Kit."**

Naruto looked up to see the Avatar Aang talking with Sokka's sister, with both teens looking rather solemn; though out of the duo Katara appeared the more troubled. Walking up to them, the two turned their heads at the sound of approaching footsteps, flashing a brief smile upon seeing Naruto's visage.

"Hey, you two both look kind of down, what's up? Pakku not going to train to bend Water more fluently?" Naruto asked casually, with Aang shaking his head in quick response.

"No, he's agreed to train me all, I'm just a bit apprehensive about it; plus, there's another issue…" Aang said as his voice trailed off, looking at Katara as he finished his sentence. Naruto shrugged and rolled his shoulders at Aang's statement, and smiled slowly behind his mask. "You're a bit apprehensive about what's to come under your tutelage under Pakku, it's a bit understandable, given how much of a stiff the guy is; what's the other issue though?" Naruto questioned calmly, earning an irritated and disheartened look from Katara.

"I knew when we came here it was of vital importance to find Aang a Master to study under, but I hoped to find one as well to improve my Waterbending abilities as well. Pakku declined rather rudely to train me, and then I questioned whether I could train under the other lesser Masters, only for him to shut down my hopes and tell me that apparently for a woman to use Waterbending other than to be a healer is against the law here; apparently tradition here states that only men here can Waterbending warriors." Katara said as he she practically spat out her last sentence, to which Naruto could understand her anger.

"I mean, I thought once we came the chauvinism from my Tribe wouldn't exist here too; but it turns out it's even worse here than it was in my own home." The dark skinned beauty mumbled sadly.

Naruto shook his head in disbelief, and sighed loudly to voice his discomfort with the issue. "What a load of shit…a lot of females from my village of Boroshi were Earthbenders; and some of em got pretty damn aggressive, more than enough to floor me given the chance. To judge a warrior by their gender is inexcusable ignorance, tradition be damned."

Katara perked up at Naruto's opinion, a look of question upon her face. "Really? You believe so? I can honestly say that such an opinion is pretty rare amongst a lot of the men I've met, minus my own father, Aang and an Earthbender I met named Haru. I'm glad men like you and Aang have the integrity not to outcast women from the battlefield just because of our gender."

"A shame Pakku has forgotten how vicious a properly trained female fighter can be…tell ya what, wanna hear me out an offer?" Naruto said somewhat mischievously as Aang pondered his inquiry curiously.

"What offer is that?" The Avatar asked.

"Simple, after hours when everyone is asleep the three of us have a little Waterbending session of our own; no sexist old men to tell Katara here how she can't Waterbend." Naruto stated with his arms folded in determination, while Katara pumped her arms to the side in agreement.

"Aang and I actually were talking about the same idea! You're pretty wily Naruto, I'll give you that." Katara smirked, earning a large grin from the Sage in response; much to Aang's small discomfort.

The Avatar stepped forward and cleared his throat to announce his own opinion, one that he already shared with Katara. "What if we get caught? If someone finds us Waterbending that would usually be okay for Naruto or me due to our gender, but if we're found Bending in unison with Katara all of us could get kicked out this Tribe as a result. That would mean there'd be little chance for me to find a good Waterbending Master outside of the Northern Water Tribe, traveling halfway around the world would've meant nothing, and they may even try to cast Naruto here into the ocean considering he doesn't have any method of transportation out of here."

Naruto frowned as did Katara, before the blonde shook his head in defiance. "We'll do the best we can to be quiet and not have a very outstandish training session; and even if we got caught and they try to kick due to the fact that you're Waterbending with us Katara, I'll fight every one of their warriors with my bare fists if I have to."

Katara couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's statement, it wasn't a mocking chuckle, but the sheer fact that she honestly believed Naruto meant what he said. "Naruto, as good of a Bender you are through the Water and Earth Styles I don't think you could take more than a hundred elite Waterbenders down by yourself, and then there's the fact that Pakku is a Waterbending Master at that and he'd undoubtedly be leading them if you tried to fight them all."

"Heh, a fight against one or a fight against many, my resolve is stronger than all of theirs put together. It's all a matter of willpower Katara, they can throw as many men as they want at me if they like, it won't help them win in the end though. Numbers are meaningless, one determined man can take out a hundred opponents if he had the resolve to." Naruto proclaimed letting a bit of his bravado show, having been continually modest the whole time he was there. He didn't like to brag that he was one of the strongest people he knew, if not now THE strongest person in the entire world at its present time period.

Though going around telling everybody he was the best there was would've probably made him a lot of enemies to begin with, hence why the Sage decided to swallow his pride and tone himself down a bit for the people around him. "Alright, alright, we can still go through with our plan, but let's try to be quiet about it okay?" Aang inquired politely, earning a nod from Katara and a smirk from Naruto underneath his mask.

"Let's just walk around till nightfall guys, it won't be much longer till it gets dark anyway." The blonde put out in the open, the dark skinned girl and the tattooed boy both nodded in agreement in response.

As the trio started to walk away Katara turned to Naruto suddenly and the blonde nearly tripped over in the process. "Hey Naruto, have you seen my brother and Princess Yue? I know she wanted to go out for a walk to get away from that idiot Hahn, and seeing how my brother has been smitten by the mere sight of her I'm guessing her offered to go along with her."

"Your brother and Princess Yue found me near the pier shortly after I met Aang's flying bison, Appa. I must say the beast is a very dignified, respectable creature; he was a bit apprehensive of me at first and then within the next five minutes he was letting me scratch his ears" Naruto noted much to Aang's surprise.

"If Appa likes you Naruto that must mean you're a good person Naruto, otherwise he wouldn't be so accepting of your presence." Aang commented in a genuine matter.

"As for your brother, he had some plan of taking Yue off on a sunset flight on Appa's back. I'm honestly surprised she doesn't know he likes her yet, think he'll try to pull off some goofy romantic one-liners on her while they're up there?" Naruto laughed as they walked onward, Katara joined him in his laughter, all too well aware of how her brother had constantly tried to flirt with the girls of the Tribe back at their own home; which usually ended up with a red smack mark across the face.

*Four Hours Later…*

Naruto stood against a pillar amongst the dark, watching as Katara and Aang Waterbended back and forth. When they had questioned him why he wasn't participating immediately, he merely responded that he wanted to see their own abilities first before they saw any more of his.

From what the Sage was witnessing, the two teens had a very basic understanding of the Water Style Element within itself; Katara ever so slightly more than Aang, but that was to be expected given the Avatar was yet to master all of the four known Elements of the current world. Katara seemed a bit more focused during the session; but any person who was present during her small argument with Pakku could've told you it was probably due to her anger towards his chauvinism and in spite of the sexist traditions in general.

Naruto stepped forward clapping slowly and softly, as both teens turned their heads to him. "You guys do have a pretty good grip on Waterbending in particular, but you still need a bit of work."

"That's why we came all the way here, only to have that belligerent old fart shut me down…at least Aang gets to be taught." Katara spat slightly, still fuming that in her own part she had been shut down after traveling across one end of the Earth to the other.

"Perhaps not, I could teach you a bit what I know of Waterbending, things my mother Nihana taught me." Naruto exclaimed, while Katara's eyes widened in interest.

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Katara asked.

"But of course, if some sexist old geezer isn't gonna teach you I don't see why I shouldn't when I'm perfectly capable of doing so." Naruto quipped, to which Aang stepped forth to question him.

"But can your skills really measure up to a Master like Pakku? Even if he is grumpy he's still a Master." Aang stated.

Naruto rolled his eyes, slapping his hands together back and forth as he prepared himself. "I may not be a 'Master' but I can sure as hell hold my own in a fair fight; sometimes even an unfair fight."

"Watch this and learn carefully…"

Naruto began to concentrate, humming in a very low note as he gained composure. He let out a very low sigh as water began building at the edge of his finger tips; as the condensation began accumulating, he whispered in a very low voice a Jutsu he had learned from his time in Kirigakure.

"Sution: Akuabureido no Jutsu."

Within seconds, a four foot long blade of pure water formed from Naruto's fingertips; being kept in its sword-like yet lucid shape in place by the Chakra of the blonde alone. The two couldn't help but gasp slightly as Naruto held the water in place, none of the water that had formed it was dropping to the ground; it remained solid yet fluid at the same time.

"Whoa, that's so cool!" Aang exclaimed rather loudly, quickly being shushed by Katara out of fear of being discovered.

"How are you able to keep its shape solid like a sword but fluid like water at the same time? It doesn't make any sense; it's a pure contradiction of physics." Katara proclaimed, earning a smirk from Naruto.

"That's pretty easy to explain actually, I'm using my Chakra to hold the water in place as the shape I want it to be, but through my manipulation of the aquatic elements I'm having it maintain a lucid shape rather than a solid one. Simply put, I'm using my own Chakra to pressurize the water into a physical form but not one of solid ice; I've given it shape without shape." Naruto responded as he moved his right hand slightly from left to right, demonstrating how the water would not fly from his fingertips and he could control it at a whim.

Katara grew another look of question on her face, to which Naruto expected when he used a word unknown to her. "Chakra? Don't you mean Chi?"

"I knew someone would ask about that eventually, Chakra is the hidden energy of a person's shape; it's much more potent than Chi but not as bountiful in comparison to how much of it a person has. It's much harder to manipulate and strenuous to master completely, many people don't even know what Chakra is because hardly anyone has the skill to employ it in battle anymore."

"Than how do you?" Aang questioned.

"My father Abadd was a traveling Warrior Monk of the Earth Kingdom's tallest mountains before he fell in love with my mother Boroshi when their paths crossed; as a Monk he knew much of Chakra control, and he passed much of his knowledge down to me. Even though I nearly have Chakra control down, I'm still not an expert at controlling it like my father was." The Sage stated as his ocean of lies continued to grow, feeling slightly guilty about the fact that he had to give false information to anyone who questioned him about his past.

His lie about how he was not the master his father was in Chakra control was perhaps his greatest lie, from what Naruto knew he had surpassed his own real father in every way; including that of Chakra Control, which was a grand feat within itself due to the fact his father was called Shinobi no Kami, the God of Shinobi, a title only given previously to Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha.

"Wow, you're really lucky to have been taught such things at such a young age." Katara exclaimed, somewhat jealous that Naruto had manipulation of a stronger body energy that nearly everyone else employed.

"Is it possible to master that technique without using Chakra and using Chi to power it instead?" Aang asked curiously, wondering if he could learn such a technique as well.

Naruto chuckled a little and moved the blade casually across the ground, watching in amusement how the pressurized water easily cut through the icy floor below them with little trouble. "It'd be quite difficult to maintain this sort of technique with Chi alone, given how Chakra is a much more potent energy source that allows one to manipulate Elements on a greater level. Plus, I don't think you'd want to learn this technique due to your shared pacifism; if it can cut this easily the ice imagine how easily it could cut through a person? One stroke would be the only attack needed to an end an average man's life."

Their faces quickly stiffened at the thought of directly killing someone, something Naruto had main plainly clear he had no moral dilemma with. As Naruto raised his hand up towards his chest, the lucid sword suddenly froze completely; the shimmering water that bubbled from Naruto's fingertips had connected to his hand. Katara and Aang looked on with a look of astonishment, while the Sage himself didn't look the least bit pleased.

"How'd you do that? Another Chakra related technique?" Katara questioned.

"If I wished to I could've frozen the water pulsing from my hand, but I did no such thing. I suspect that we have a visitor." Naruto grimly added, looking up from where had detected a use of Chi; standing there was Master Pakku, baring an angered disappointed look upon his face.

Needless to say Katara and Aang were petrified that they had been discovered, Naruto on the other hand appeared more annoyed than anything.

"You three have disrespected me, my teachings and my entire culture." Pakku said darkly, his eyes as cold as the ice he stood on.

"But-"

"You are no longer welcome here among this Tribe or as my student, Avatar. I will see that Chieftain Arnook send you and your friends on your way tomorrow morning; until then you are to be confined to your quarters." The Waterbending Master spat as he interrupted Aang, who now bore a very disheartened look while Katara herself gritted her teeth in anger.

"And you foreigner, you will be thrown out of this village as well the following morning; lets the hope the Avatar lets you aboard his bison or you'll have to swim all the way back." The old man implied darkly, Naruto couldn't help but smirk underneath his mask despite the man's obviously serious tone.

"What's the matter Oji-san? Afraid that a properly trained female Bender would whoop your shriveled old can?" Naruto cackled much to the horror of his two new friends; they knew they were already in trouble but the blonde didn't seem to care in the least, in fact he seemed to want to aggravate Pakku even further.

"I'll make sure Chieftain Arnook prepares a much harsher treatment to reward you for your impudence boy; let's see how you like spending three months in our jail and then having to swim all the way back home after." Pakku grinned.

"No prison you could ever build could even dream to hold me." Naruto growled aggressively.

"Your bravado does you no credit, it only shows how a desperate of a coward you are; you three will follow me, NOW, I will escort you to your quarters." Pakku angrily stated, Aang and Katara lowered their heads in disappointment as they were hauled off to where they would be confined for the night.

As the somber walk began, Naruto could hear an all too familiar voice ringing in his head.

**"Hey Kit, why don't we just level his ass here and now? We can totally take this belligerent teme down a peg!"**

_True, but remember, we're still on a reconnaissance mission; we will not expose ourselves no matter the cost._

**"Hmph, fine…think we can teach him a lesson tomorrow though? You know, one that involves us kicking his wrinkled backside all over the village?"**

_That is a certainty, Kurama._

**"Heheheh…excellent…looks tomorrow we get to have some REAL fun for once."**

_Indeed…but let's cool our jets for now, we can lie in wait and rest for what is to come._

**"Very well…oh and by the way Kit?"**

_Yes Kurama?_

**"Fuck-Up Number One for our second life!"**

_Shut the hell up.  
__

***Changes to the Avatar Canon***

**1) Hahn arrives earlier in this tale than he did originally, in the actual cartoon he arrives in the episode Siege of the North Part 1; here he shows up one episode early.**

**2) Sokka and Yue go on a ride on Appa's back one episode earlier than when they originally did; similar to how Hahn arrived earlier as well. The scene where Sokka and Yue met up for a meeting on a bridge where Sokka handed her a carving a fish was not included in this story. All of you will get to know more about how Sokka and Yue's ride on Appa's back went in Chapter 5; Naruto will ask Sokka how it went personally.**

**3) Yue is starting (slowly though) to gain a self-confidence in herself due to Naruto's words; something that never really happened in the original series since she was much more concerned with being the future leader of the Tribe rather than making herself happy.**

**4) Sokka obviously has much more amiable competition to winning Yue's heart due to Naruto's appearance; who is much more sophisticated and kind then Hahn ever was in his entire Chapter was even more of a doozy than the last one; I didn't mean to make it this long but I just got way too wrapped into it.**

**Criticize points if you have to, but at least make it constructive so I can upgrade my work; I'm far from perfect when it comes to novel esc writing but I always seek to improve.**

**And if you downright hate the story, I guess you're free to voice your opinion despite of how I'd rather not read flames; every person is entitled to their own voice regardless if it's negative or positive.**

**Chapter 5 is nearly complete, expect it within the next week. **

**Until then, beautiful friends.**

**Later.**  
**-TheArkOfAwesome.**


	5. Chapter V: Factuality

**And here we are on Chapter 5, time sure flies doesn't it?**

**Sorry this one took me longer than expected, my sister's graduation was this week and it was absolutely nuts. Between going to her graduation, and endlessly preparing for a massive party (which was even bigger than what we thought it would be), I never got the time to post this story earlier like I wanted to do. That, and games like The Old Republic have been keeping me busy in my wait for Skyrim's first DLC, Dawnguard. And then there's the fact that the Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut Ending DLC releases on the exact same day as Dawnguard (but for free mind you.) Here's hoping Bioware's changes doesn't make the ending even WORSE, if that's even humanly possible.**

**All I know is that my Argonian Werewolf Dovahkin (soon to be a Argonian Vampire Lord Dovahkin), the legendary Billy Bitchcakes shall enter the fray once more to smite all who oppose him once again. And yes, his name is ACTUALLY Billy Bitchcakes...don't ask where I got the idea, just don't.**

**As many of you may have already guessed from the ending of Chapter 4, the tension Naruto and Katara both with Pakku's policies is going to reach its boiling point; resulting in an explosive conclusion.**

**More Yue bonding time is coming Naruto's way as well, which may or may not lead somewhere; I'm such a tease, lol.**

**As if it even needs to be said anymore, I certainly don't own Naruto or Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

**Remember when this site was more accepting of things like Lemons? I mean I've read the Administrators put up that Lemons haven't been allowed at since 2002, but they honestly never saw how much of a large quantity there are of them up until now; which is kind of a bad thing on our part. Due to this major Banhammering of Lemons you can be damn well sure that I'm going to be extra cautious when it comes to this story.**

**I'll do my best to follow the rules, though if I am eventually banned I'm just going to move everything to , which is where as I've mentioned before the uncut, uncensored Lemons will eventually be posted.**

**Also, I wanted to point out for the semblance of the plot before anyone asks, in this story Katara met Yugoda (the woman who points out Katara's connection to her grandmother Kanna) BEFORE Naruto arrived and before Pakku dismissed her as becoming his apprentice.**

**As for quite a lot people pointing out the fact that Naruto is either 1) A Hypocrite or 2) Not very knowledgeable about the Fire Nations atrocities, allow me to explain.**

**1) Naruto doesn't know what the Fire Nation/Hi no Kuni has become simply because Azula told him everything he wanted to hear, she declined to mention their tyranny/dictatorship/oppression of the other Nations to appeal to his sense of honor as a warrior to get him to ally with her/his Nation once more. So in short, he doesn't know the whole situation yet, he's only acting on impulse to protect the Nation that his Village once existed in; he may be much more mature, but he's still Naruto.**

**He judges things before exactly knowing the full story and tends to rush in head first. In retrospect it's quite similar to how Hanzo from Naruto the Movie II lied to Naruto about wanting to build a utopia when he was really a tyrannical madman; to which Naruto learned the truth about later and defied him with all his might.**

**2) Naruto doesn't wish to DESTROY the Northern Water Tribe; only to defeat it, I thought this would've been perfectly obvious when he said to Azula that he wished for the Fleet to only target the areas of military standpoints and to not injure/kill elderly, children, sick, etc. He even said if this request was not followed he would NOT participate in the fate despite his loyalty to the Fire Nation/Hi no Kuni, so he essentially blackmailed Azula into toning the assault a bit for his own sense of honor to the truly innocent.**

**3) When Naruto learns full circle of what exactly the Fire Nation is like he isn't going to be complacent with the fact that his Nation has turned into a Dictatorship. As I mentioned before, Azula only told him everything he wanted to hear and he jumped before he looked. When everyone puts all their pieces on the table, things will be different.**

**4) To anyone complaining about how why Naruto would want Katara an 'enemy' to receive proper training when it came to Waterbending, I think the explanation is simple. Naruto simply believes that no one (despite being an enemy or not) should be susceptible to sexism, racism, etc; and that said person should not be judged by their gender and be truly seen by the skills they represent. For example, if my enemies were Germans (again people, example, don't flip) I wouldn't want them all to be seen as Nazi-Loving Genocidal Madmen despite of what had occurred in the past. They may be my enemy, but they deserve to have some type of respect.**

**5) Reconnaissance means to spy yes, and many have questioned why he would put on such a flashy performance. For one, it's Naruto; he'll get carried away no matter what he does. For two, his recon style is more Trojan Horse Syndrome; he looks to be a friendly gift, but that's just a disguise. A lot of people would say that Naruto is acting too show-offy and obnoxious to be a spy, but in reality, that's the perfect disguise. Would you honestly expect someone who appeared out of knowing showing his stuff to be a spy? You wouldn't because spies are suppose to be sneaky, stealthy, quiet, reserved, etc; it's essentially Reverse Psychology. **

**6) He doesn't particularly WANT to spy/deceive this people, he just feels like he HAS to for the sake of the War; which, I must repeat, he still doesn't know the full purpose of.**

**7) As for wondering if Princess Yue liked him; he's not fanboying over her like Sokka did, he merely wondered if she did or is starting to. He's still a man, and I'd be lying if I said he didn't retain at least some of the qualities under his training with Jiraiya. He thinks she's very beautiful yes, but he's not exactly falling head over heels for her. Given the eight wives he was supposed to have in the past, he just wonders if the women of this time will be as susceptible to try to chase him. It isn't exactly an arrogance that he thinks he's hot stuff, he just knows that women in the multitude become attracted to him for some reason (again, he tends to romance people without realizing it sometimes.)**

**8) Finally, to ALL those who repeatedly point out that my grammar is too 'mechanic.' This is how I learned to write a story, I truly do not know any other way. I've tried to incorporate what I believed to be a more fluid style of writing, but I just can't do it apparently. I know it's not perfect, but it's really the only way I know how. So if you don't want to continue reading the story out of how it's written, I can't say I blame you and I won't try to stop you from leaving either. I guess after typing a certain way for so long it's become synched with my mind and I don't how to write a story any differently.**

**And as for anyone who insults people who 'flame'…**

**I can't say I enjoy people who call my work a piece of shit, but I don't necessarily hate them either. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I can respect them for it, I won't hate them for having a different opinion then others or my own.**

*Key*  
"**Kyuubi Talking"  
**_**Kyuubi Thinking  
**__Thinking  
_"Talking"

***Japanese Key*  
Rikudo Sannin=Sage of the Six Paths.  
Baka=Idiot.  
Oji-san=Old man.  
Teme=Bastard.  
Sensei=Master.  
Hime=Princess.  
Chan=A suffix used to demonstrate familiarity and or closeness with a woman.  
Gomenasai=I'm sorry.  
Suiton: Josho warupamusu no Jutsu=Water Style: Rising Whirlpool Palms Technique.  
Suiton: Suisei Ken o Kyujosho=Water Style: Rocketing Aquatic Fist.  
Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu=Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.  
Suiton: Akuabureido no Jutsu=Water Style: Aqua Blade Technique.  
Hyoton: Shado o nagetsuke no Jutsu=Ice Style: Pelting Shard Technique. **

As Naruto, Katara and Aang were forcibly guided to their bedchambers; not a single one of them didn't feel like they hadn't been jaded.

Aang just wanted to see Katara happy, Katara herself just wanted to learn Waterbending from a Master, and Naruto felt cheated in the aspect that he never actually got to teach the dark skinned girl anything. The Sage could feel anger literally resonating from Katara's physical being, but then again it didn't exactly take a reincarnation of the Rikudo Sannin to tell that the girl was furious.

When the trio finally arrived to what was more or less their prison for the night, all three were shoved inside roughly by Pakku; the door slamming behind in frustration on part of the old man. Katara sat angrily upon the nearest bed, shaking her head in disbelief at what had occurred. It didn't take long for any of them to notice they were not alone in the room however; Katara's brother Sokka sat in the corner on a stool with a look of discontent upon his face.

"I'm guessing your little sunset flight with Yue didn't go so well Sokka?" Naruto inquired.

Sokka rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, dusting himself off and rubbing his temples in frustration. "Princess Yue can be so confusing, sometimes during the flight she seemed interested in me to an extent, and other times she kept ignoring me. Do all women need to give such mixed signals?" Sokka exclaimed, immediately regretting his choice of words when his sister shot him a glare so foul that it would strike fear into the heart of a Sabretooth Moose Lion.

"I don't want to hear any complaints right now Sokka; we have our own fish to fry." Katara practically hissed. Sokka looked at his sister was question before Aang sighed to break the tension.

"Master Pakku caught us Waterbending together, Katara and I as well as Naruto figured that whatever Pakku didn't see wouldn't hurt him; apparently however he either knew of our intentions or in the least followed us. Due to his beliefs he claims we've disrespected the whole Tribe by doing what we did, and he's going to bring all of us to Chief Arnook tomorrow in an attempt to kick us out here." Aang solemnly stated.

"Well that's just great guys, how am I suppose to get close to Princess Yue if we're all freakin' banished?" Sokka exclaimed, landing down on a bed face first as his muffled groans emphasized his mood.

The other three members of the room rolled their eyes and shot glances at one another, Katara wasn't particularly shocked that her brother wasn't seeing the bigger picture.

"I hate to burst your bubble lover boy but I think a meeting with the Chieftain discussing our collective banishment from this Tribe may just be a bigger setback than you trying to win Yue's heart from that baka, Hahn." Naruto shrugged, leaning back in his respective bed lazily. He could see from the corner of his good eye that Aang was about ask him a question, and since he most likely already knew the answer he decided to retort early.

"It means idiot." Naruto said.

"A fitting description for that arrogant jerk, and for that crotchety old man as well." Katara huffed angrily.

Aang couldn't help but sigh at the large mess the four were in; if they really were banished from the Northern Water Tribe finding a Waterbending Master to tutor him would be nearly impossible. His group had flown more than halfway across the world for this just to have their progress hindered by an old man clinging to sexist customs.

"We should all get some sleep, I doubt when morning comes our awakening won't be exactly pleasant if that Oji-san has anything to say about it." The Sage grumbled lying back in his head and shutting his one functioning eye.

Katara stroked her hair loopies out of her vision and nodded in agreement. "Naruto's right, as frustrated as I am it'll do none of us good to worry about our problems now as long as morning is on the horizon; we should all get some sleep and brace for impact when the sun rises."

Sokka moaned in frustration into his sheets, only to be shoved to the side of the bed by Katara; who took her place next to him. Granted, a brother and sister sharing the same bed was quite unusual for their own age and considered to be taboo if 'other' things were to occur; but it wasn't like they had much room to begin so they just had to make due for now. Katara herself was too angry too care and Sokka was too frustrated to care; so everything worked out for them on their end.

Aang took his place in his own single bed with a Lemur-like creature darting into the room and curling up on his chest, something that momentarily surprise Naruto. Sighing deeply Naruto wandered over to a nearby trunk and retrieved both a sleeping bag and a pillow from it, lying them both down on the floor only to join them within a matter of seconds.

_Well…this is pleasant._

**"As I said before Kit, Fuck Up Number One."**

_Too true…too true._

**"The only possible good thing I can think that come out of this is us whooping that old coot so hard it'll make his ancestor's dizzy."**

_Which is funny considering his ancestors probably didn't even exist before we did._

**"As you said yourself though, we should probably get some sleep; nothing can be solved by worrying right now."**

_Yeah, you're right…goodnight Kurama._

**"Goodnight Naruto…"**

_**…What fucked-up way to start a new life…  
**__

*Admiral Zhao's Vessel*

Azula and her companions lay in their respective bed as the ship rocked back and forth against the lazy tide, all of them too tired to even feel sea-sickness at this point.

She had already informed Zhao that the invasion was to be delayed for three days, something he originally argued heavily against only to be reminded who he was arguing with in the first place. While Azula herself would've normally agreed that waiting like this to harness such a worthy opportunity was a foolish move, Naruto is what made all the difference in the assault.

A man who possessed such unknown power and ancient knowledge would be a critical asset to the Fire Nation in this time of war; she couldn't take the chance by having him be her homeland's enemy; even if home was her home in the past she still felt that he had the determination to side against anyone he felt like.

Azula smiled to herself knowing full well how the esteemed Admiral of the vessel was most likely fuming at having to wait an additional three days to begin the invasion that he had already prepared for; Zhao was stubborn but he wasn't stubborn enough to argue with her of all people, the prodigy daughter of the Fire Lord.

Looking to both her left and her right, she noted the conditions of her friends in their sleep. Ty Lee's hair was down as it always during her naps, her frazzled hazel hair covering a lot of her face. The acrobat clung to her like some kind of stuffed animal, one hand around the front of her frame and the other hand looping around her back.

Normally such familiarity with the Princess of the Fire Nation would've called for execution, but for Azula this was normal behavior on Ty Lee's part. It wasn't like they hadn't slept together before, whether when they younger or at their current age.

Mai on the other hand was asleep as well, but in a much more peaceful, reserved stance than her friend adorned in pink pajamas. Her eyes were shut dimly and her mouth was open ever so slightly, a small breeze of air expelling out of her slightly open maw every now and then.

Azula herself had tried to fall to sleep, but was having a hard time doing so due to eagerness and wondering how her golden haired companion was doing on his recon mission. It wasn't that she doubted his prowess after seeing what he was already capable of, just thinking how much of a valuable asset he was and to be lost in a mission to spy on peasants made her skin crawl.

She remembered that he promised her that no harm would come to him, and he'd come back like nothing happened to tell her of the defensive scenario's of the militia the Northerners had gained and whether they were aware of the impending invasion. And they were was also the fact that Naruto himself wished to only target military outposts and defensive perimeters, not destroy the whole Tribe as a whole to see victory.

It was obvious he didn't want innocent blood on his hands, but he had told her that he was willing to make sacrifices despite his honorable demeanor; he merely did not wish bloodshed when it could be prevented. When she had informed Zhao of this new tactic along with having to wait an additional three days, she swore his head was going to implode out of frustration, much to her amusement.

Much to her own dismay, she had been more or less pressured into visiting her Uncle Iroh, who she considered to be almost as worthless as her brother. Sure enough from what Azula had expected he was as jubilant and as peaceful as ever, content with just making tea and talking about the upcoming battle like it would just be a stroll through the park; it made her sick.

Iroh was one of the few people who was sympathetic to her brother after her father literally branded his image within his son's own face; something her Uncle had claimed was a 'step too far.' He never said such thing openly to her father of course, mainly he just mumbled such things to himself or in many cases he would try to comfort Zuko himself about what had occurred.

Iroh had apparently heard of Azula's 'mystery companion' from Zhao and has questioned her about inquisitively; something she immediately regretted upon not introducing the blonde to him earlier. She tried her best to accurately describe Naruto, but words failed her; it wasn't everyday one person singlehandedly redefines the way you look at the world. What could she have possibly said to describe him in a few sentences? That he was an ancient being that far surpassed the Avatar in age and in strength, and that his power was unknown as it was formidable?

Azula had dismissed her uncle early on in the conversation, merely stating that Iroh had to meet Naruto himself to truly get to know him. Iroh seemed to accept that casually, something Azula was forced to roll her eyes at; she honestly had not thought her curious relative would've given up so easily. But her fears were soon brought back to the fray again as he began reciting ancient proverbs that dealt with the value of patience, to which she did not last more than a minute and left the stage quickly.

Sighing heavily as her head sunk back into the pillow, she closed her golden eyes slowly as the darkness embraced her.

_Naruto…I hope you're having more fun than I am._

_Come back soon, losing you as an ally would be more than troublesome; I know you said you're loyal to our Nation's cause, even if you have different ideas about, just don't be swayed by those weaklings and their pacifistic philosophies._

_Don't you dare give in; I've invested too much in you for you to go cold turkey on me now._  
_

*The next morning…*  
**  
**It hadn't been a minute past eight o'clock when a rather loud racket awoke Aang's group, that sound being the practical kicking down of the chamber door where four misfits were more or less imprisoned. Sokka fell out of his bed with a shrill shriek, Aang jumped like a toad, Momo hissed similarly to a stray cat, Katara spat out an uncharacteristic curse and Naruto merely groaned in frustration.

It didn't surprise any of them to see who exactly their obnoxious alarm clock was; Master Pakku stood in the doorway with an incredibly potent glare encompassing his face the same as the night before. Naruto just looked at the old Waterbender and shrugged, chuckled a bit and shook his head in disbelief.

"Man, is there ever any time when you aren't pissy? I mean goddamn, I'd hoped that you'd cooled off a bit from last night, but I guess that was expecting too much out of you, wasn't it?" Naruto laughed mockingly, only furthering to enhance Pakku's anger.

"All of you get out of bed; I'm taking you to Chieftain Arnook at once, I've already told him of your deeds, he will be your Judge and Jury." Pakku stated determinedly.

"Aww man, don't we even get breakfast first?" Sokka whined, which only received a glare from Pakku and literally everyone else in the room.

"Sorry, I was just asking, jeesh…" The Southern warrior trailed off, lacing his boots as he prepared to meet the same fate as his friends.

As the four gathered their footwear and readied themselves for what was to come, a sense of doubt could be felt throughout the room. Most notably the emotion came from the Avatar's group, which Naruto could sense instinctively due his connection with the Kyuubi and his talent of being able to read people's minds through direct eye contact as a Sage.

His gaze wandered to Katara's azure eyes, which were encased with not only doubt, but with frustration and a hint of anger as well.

_I hope we can explain to Chieftain Arnook that we meant no harm, especially when it comes to the traditions of this Tribe; as wrong as they might be. It's going to be difficult to pacify this situation though, Pakku, a crotchety old man or not, still has quite a connection with Arnook; he'll probably try to make us look like the bad guys in this scenario._

_We've come so far though, we can't just give up because some sexist old coot has a problem with me learning how to Waterbend better; we need all the hands possible to fight the Fire Nation, one way or the other, regardless of tradition._

I didn't come literally halfway around the entire world with Aang just so we both could be denied this privilege; we've traveled far enough to earn the right to be taught.

Naruto had read the Inuit girl's mind as he indirectly mind eye contact with her, shaking his head at the arrogance she had to face under Pakku's watchful eyes; it wasn't that he hadn't be disrespected as well, but it wasn't the same kind of dishonor. Discrimination of a warrior due to their sex was painfully unbearable to him, even under his days as a Shinobi ridicule of female warriors had sometime occurred; but it didn't seem as potent as the situation he was currently watching.

**"I take it you plan to do something, Kit?"**

_Like I have a choice Kurama, even if I did, I wouldn't just try to defend my own honor; someone needs to stick up for her as well._

**"And why does that person have to be you, exactly?"**

_Look at the amount of bullshit she's facing due the customs of this Tribe, it's inexcusable. A warrior of either gender should not be discriminated against because of their sexual identity, it's a low brow tactic only employed by cowards and ignorant fools. Don't you sense the potential within her? It does not take an observant eye to see that Katara flares with the same kind of prideful strength as Konoha's Will of Fire…if she is taught properly she can become a truly astonishing fighter._

**"Matatabi was never judged by her gender by any Demon, Tailed or not. Us Biju do not condone or believe in that sort of discrimination that the truly revolting humans employ, even Shukaku was wise enough to know that a woman scorned could be hell incarnate."**

_Then you see why I need to help her out then?_

**"Something you fail to grasp Kit is that she most likely hates the Fire Nation and the people who hail from it, she does ally with the very being Azula described to us as being a cowardly, self-righteous, self-proclaimed, altruistic Messiah."**

**"Would teaching her truly be to our advantage Kit? I doubt it would be so easy dissuade her from the Avatar's service, given the determination that bodes similar to Sarutobi Hiruzen. If we help her now, it might just provide us with another powerful opponent to fight against, another well trained enemy to fight our homeland…I question how that is beneficial to us."**

**"Even if you manage to persuade her in due time to join us, which I'm getting the feeling that you're thinking of doing just that, how do we know that her conscience would not betray us in due time? That she would not strike us down from behind as a trained warrior, as an ally you trusted…I really would prefer not to be the harbinger of another Uchiha Sasuke of all things."**

_She's nothing like Sasuke! Don't try to mar her honor by referring her to that fool._

**"I know she's not like Sasuke now, what I'm saying is she COULD become another Sasuke in terms of going turncoat on us when we least expected and least needed it if she truly does decide to ally with us in due time."**

_I won't judge her till all her cards are put on the table._

**"Isn't that we did with Sasuke-teme? And look what happened with him."**

_A good point, but Katara hasn't displayed murderous tendencies or an arrogant attitude…her personality seems to be the exact opposite of Sasuke's._

**"Thing can change Kit."**

_We must have faith in her regardless._

**"I take it you'll personally deal with her if she becomes a true threat to us and our homeland after this incident follows through."**

_Of course…I wouldn't have it any other way, I learned my lesson with Sasuke. I'll give her one or two chances, but if she can't be dissuaded from following the Avatar then I will do what I must._

**"Even if it means killing her?"**

_…I hope that is the last possible outcome, but yes, if that if it comes down to that, yes, I will take responsibility for the potential mistake that will arise; I will slay her myself need be if it is the only option left._

**"You will her aid against Pakku then?"**

_As it should be._

**"Very well then, it's your choice in the end, Kit."**

Having been lead to the royal chamber, the group of four led by Pakku begrudgingly looked up at Chieftain Arnook; who bore a look similar to Pakku's, filled with skepticism, disappointment and perhaps anger as well. Lord Hahn, Yue's betrothed, sat on the right of Arnook, whose gaze looked to be that be that of elders, but with a much more demeaning, judgmental look upon it.

Yue herself sat on the left of her father, whose gaze was the only one who looked down with sympathy at the group, her stare capturing both the attention of Naruto and Sokka. Whether or not they would be able to talk to her again after the meeting had been adjourned was yet to be seen; with both male teens hopeful at the prospect.

"You all know why you are here?" Arnook asked.

Sokka raised his hand gingerly earning a sneer from Pakku, as the Chieftain sighed heavily in response. "Yes, Sokka? Do you have something to contribute?"

"Uh, yeah…I really don't know why I'm here; I wasn't even with them at the time this happened, I can't even Bend at all to begin with." Sokka nervously chuckled, while both Naruto and Katara face palmed at the boy's ploy on innocence.

"Yes, you weren't with them; you were off on the Avatar's bison with my fiancée! Did you really think such impulsive familiarity and such general respect towards myself would go unnoticed you loathsome cur?" Hahn practically spat, as Sokka glared back at the Lord with equal passion.

"Hey listen buddy, all Yue and I did was take a ride on Appa's back, I was just trying to let her have some fun, ya know?" Sokka replied earnestly, as Hahn stood up and slammed his hands against his icy table.

"Fun! She is the Princess of this Tribe, and my future wife! She has no time for 'fun', what she has to do is not question her place as royalty and go off gallivanting was peasants like you!" Hahn shouted angrily, to which Sokka stomped his foot towards the shouting noble in response, as Naruto noted Yue's distorting facial features that implied the beginning of a emotionally upset state.

"Silence! While that is Sokka's charge brought forth by Lord Hahn, we have a much situation on our hands here; Pakku has informed me you three were Waterbending late at night unsupervised. Not only is this direct dereliction of the rule that no foreigner may Bend any Element was supervision during their stay here, but you Aang and Naruto were Waterbending alongside Katara as well; violating one of the most upheld rules of this Tribe." Arnook authoritatively stated, silencing both Hahn and Sokka at the same time.

"Women are forbidden to Waterbend in this Tribe no matter the situation; it goes against our oldest and most revered customs. You three have gone under my notice and insulted our heritage, to which Master Pakku has made the demand that the Avatar and his companions leave the vicinity of our village at once; minus Naruto who will be kept prisoner here for his continued influence against Pakku." The Chieftain finished, to which Naruto chuckled lightly at, earning an increased glare from Arnook, Pakku and Hahn in the process.

Yue herself looked on with a worried stare, hoping that the blonde warrior would not further endanger himself than he already accomplished.

"As I said to Pakku earlier, no prison you could hope to build could ever hold me; I cannot be contained like a mere animal, there is so much more to me than you realize." Naruto scoffed, as Hahn stood in anger to accost the foreign man.

"Learn your place whelp! Bars of ice and steel can hold any man; your bravado does you no credit." The haughty Lord retorted.

"At least I have the strength to back up my claims, unlike you, you little gnat." Naruto laughed, Hahn's face turning beat red in fury as Yue gasped at Naruto's boldness. No one had ever willingly insulted a noble in the royal chamber before, even less so to insult a noble at all. But to insult a Lord within her father's chambers, be the challenger peasant, foreigner or even a fellow noble was simply unheard of.

"Enough! All of you know the major claim of offense in this scenario, with that said in mind why I should continue to allow any of you to remain amongst my Tribe?" Arnook said.

Katara stepped up first, willing to plead her case with the most obvious method of defense in mind. "You all know the legacy of the Avatar, and you know that Aang has yet to master the Four Elements; he needs such skills and power to fight the Fire Lord, would you knowingly condemn the whole world just because of your sexist customs?"

"Sexist customs or not, they are our customs nonetheless; and you have violated them and betrayed our trust at the same time. What exactly do you expect me to do? Force Master Pakku to take Aang back as his student?" Arnook asked matter of factly.

"Yes…please! Aang and Naruto have done nothing in this situation; they do not need to be punished just for Bending alongside me regardless of your customs." Katara pleaded desperately.

Arnook scratched his chin in a moment of thought; coming to what he believed was a logical conclusion. "I do believe Master Pakku would be willing to accept Aang back as his student, if you swallow your pride and apologize to him."

"She has nothing to apologize for, all we did was ignore your lousy tradition of hindering who and who can't be a warrior. In all due honesty I find it most surprising that an honorable man like yourself would follow such demeaning customs; you are far above such things Arnook, apparently you just have yet to realize." Naruto added in, as numerous guards approached him out of spite, holding spears to his throat to silence his disrespect. He merely sighed audibly at the violent gesture, biting his tongue for the moment.

Katara herself looked up at the Chieftain and Pakku with a look of disbelief, appalled about she was being more or less forced to do. Apologizing to such a chauvinistic old man was the last foreseeable outcome in her own mind, but if it was for Aang, for the good of the world, she needed to do it; no matter how distasteful it was.

"Well? I'm waiting, little girl." Pakku added with a smug on his face.

That did it.

"No." Katara whispered darkly, the icy floor cracking against her anger. Aang and Sokka went to put one of their hands on the girl's shoulders, but they were quickly thrown off by Katara swinging her arms up in the air.

"No way am I apologizing to a sour old man like you!" The now enraged woman shouted, nearby pots breaking through the fury of her angered Waterbending. Arnook raised his eyebrows while Pakku's face remain unchanged, all the while Naruto smirked at what was about to unfold.

"Meet me outside if you're MAN enough to fight me." Katara huffed, practically stomping out of the royal chamber, the ice beneath her feet cracking against her rage. Yue looked rather frightened and worried, noted to Naruto and Sokka's temporary concern before the remaining three turned to face one another. Hahn on the other hand was less than pleased, a very grim look adorning his face.

"I'm sure she didn't mean that." Aang said nervously shaking his hands in a worried manner.

"Yeah, I think she did." Sokka added.

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle, much to everyone's surprise. He shook his head back and forth in disappointment at the repeated arrogance of Pakku, almost stunned that such repeated stupidity could be allowed to continue.

Looking up at Arnook with a look of disappointment in his functioning left eye, Naruto shook his head solemnly, and left the room to follow the now enraged Katara.

_Things are about to get interesting Kurama…looks like Katara's finally calling out Pakku-teme out on his idiocy._

**"Thinking of partaking in their little bout Kit? Most likely against Pakku I presume?"**

_Like I'd have it any other way, and yes to answer your question._

**"Good…finally we get to put our first arrogant asshole in his place…with some help of course."**

_I don't intend to hog all the glory Kurama…hopefully if this goes as I've planned we can help Katara take him down together._

**"But we can handle him on our own, can't we Kit?"**

_Probably true, but Katara deserves to put this sexist old coot in his place as much as I do for him treating me with suspicion just because I'm a foreigner; we both have our reasons._

**"I guess you're right, though we're probably going to have announce why we're helping Katara; I'm not even sure if the girl will want or help or accept it, and then there's the fact that Pakku will probably want to fight her one-on-one with no outside assistance."**

_I never said I was giving either of them a choice, did I Kurama? We both have our reasons to fight Pakku, I'm not just doing this to Katara, I'm doing this for myself as well. That old man has treated us poorly ever since our arrival, we have the right to challenge him just as much as Katara does._

**"And what if he rejects both of your attempts to fight him?"**

_Then we'll just have to 'persuade' him, won't we?  
__

*Zhao's Vessel*

A meeting between Admiral Zhao and Iroh is being had, the two sitting down at a small table discussing the battle to come.

"I'm devastated to hear about Prince Zuko, just…devastated. His demise is a great loss for the Fire Nation, despite the conflicts he had with his majesty." Zhao commented almost casually.

"The Fire Lord will not be pleased when he learns who's responsible for this tragedy; I imagine the consequences will be quite severe." Iroh responds while he sips his tea elegantly.

"You know who was behind the attack Iroh? They should executed for this dishonor against our country."

"The people behind the assault were pirates…Zuko and I ran into them a while back; they wanted revenge against us, unfortunately their second attack took my Prince's life."

"A shame…truly a shame, I'll make an inquiry to our Lordship to see if we can properly hunt down those dogs as soon as this battle is won."

"Have you reconsidered my offer, Iroh? I could use someone like you under my wing during this invasion; your skills would be most welcome along her majesty Azula as well as her followers."

Iroh sips his tea once more, calmly looking at the new Admiral.

"Yes, I accept. It would be an honor to serve the new General. To the Fire Nation!"

Zhao laughs heartily raising his glass to Iroh's.

"To victory!"

As the new military leader drinks his herbal refreshment slowly, thoughts trace in the back of his mind, treasonous flashbacks of his attack on Zuko.

_Hmph, the fool expects nothing, as I thought. It would seem he knows not of my execution of that lout Zuko, as it should be; and even if he does suspect treason he has no proof to base it on. Even the Dragon of the West would not be foolish enough to challenge an Admiral personally given his promotion by our Fire Lord Ozai._

_This victory will show the world that we are to be respected, and that I led the charge alongside her Highness in one of our first great steps to victory in this miserable war._  
_

*Back at the Northern Water Tribe*

Naruto stood next to Katara, who had already taken off her coat and thrown it to the icy ground. The girl seemed to be mentally preparing herself for the battle to come, taking deep breaths of air in attempt to concentrate herself and not let her anger blind her when she came to fight against Pakku. Sokka and Aang had already made it outside, and were of course trying to dissuade her from fighting against the Waterbending Master.

"Are you crazy Katara? You're not going to win this fight! He's called a Waterbending Master for a reason!" Sokka exclaimed, only earning a huff from his sister.

"You don't need to do this for me, I can find another teacher, it'll be difficult but I'm sure someone out there can guide me properly in Waterbending." Aang stated.

Katara on the other hand would have no word it, flicking back her hair loopies and scrunching her fists momentarily. "You two won't dissuade me from what I have to do, I know I can't win this fight but I at least have to try; and I'm not doing this for you Aang, this is for me and my pride as a woman. Someone needs to slap some sense into this guy that a woman can fight just as well if not better than a man."

Naruto turned his head casually towards the Inuit girl, looking at her with pause. "I seek to aid you in this battle Katara, I have my own score to settle with this old man as well."

"You can't help me Naruto; it would ruin the whole purpose of why I challenged him in the first place. I'm going to prove to him a woman can stand on her own." Katara responded assertively.

"You misunderstand my intentions; I do not want to fight him just to aid you, he has insulted my honor as well. He has looked down on me just because I am a foreigner and not of this Tribe's lineage, such xenophobic ignorance must be punished. Though I will admit, these sexist customs of his annoy me as much as you; as I have stated before many female warriors of Boroshi were my better in the field of battle as far as Earthbending was involved, they earned their place as warriors above me." Naruto replied calmly.

"That doesn't change the fact that I want to fight him alone." Katara almost spat in anger, somewhat surprising Sokka and Aang.

"Regardless, we both have issues with him, we both want to settle a score with him; it is only natural that we ally ourselves to be Pakku's downfall."

Before Katara could retort, Master Pakku walked smugly by both Naruto and Katara, passing nonchalantly in between them. Several onlookers had gathered alongside Aang and Sokka, including Chieftain Arnook, Princess Yue and Lord Hahn who all looked on with curiosity. Sokka's kin glared at the arrogant old man, burning into his very figure with her brazen eyes.

"Well? Aren't you going to fight me?" Katara snapped viciously.

Not even bothering to turn his head Pakku continued to walk past the enraged teenager. "Go back to the healing huts with the other women where you belong, I will not degrade myself by fighting a woman."

Katara tightened her fist and concentrated for a watery whip to form, using it to slap Pakku on the back of his head, cutting him ever so slightly. A large amount of gasps echoed from amongst the crowd, Lord Hahn stepping forward with a furious look on his face.

"That woman attacked Master Pakku! Seize her!"

Before anything further could occur, Pakku raised his left hand to notion the guards to stand down; turning slowly to face Katara.

"Fine. You want to learn how to fight so badly? Study clo-" Pakku began to monologue aggressively, before being hit by a massive gush of water sent forth by Naruto, sending the older man spiraling across the ice. All eyes were on the golden haired Sage now, looking at him with either surprise or contempt. Pakku gained his ground slowly, somewhat stunned by the sudden attack, looking at the foreigner with sharp, hateful azure eyes.

"Do you wish for me to kill you boy?" Pakku rasped hatefully.

"You have not only insulted Katara's honor, but you have insulted mine as well. You have labeled me unworthy of my place here due to the sheer fact that I am a foreigner; your arrogant xenophobia must be put in its place. For your insolence I will fight alongside this woman, prepare yourself Oji-san, my name is Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, and you are about to be humbled." Naruto stated aggressively, entering a fighting pose worthy of a charging Sabretooth Moose Lion. Pakku chuckled grimly, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You youth are so arrogant, believing your time to be the greatest age of all ages; you think that your time of life is greater than all generations before it, and for that you are all fools. I shall put you both in your place!" Pakku shouted, entering his own battle stance as well.

"And we shall put YOU in the ground!" Naruto roared back.

Pakku extended both of his arms, creates two swirling streams of water from nearby pools, sending them both spiraling in the direction of the two youths. As Katara and Naruto brace for impact, they the streams loop around them both and create a spiraling ring of water that forces them in Pakku's direction.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt either of you!" Pakku declares, as the duo is forced ever closer to him. Naruto grits in his teeth in both determination and frustration, looking at Katara to make the first move. The Inuit girls nods slowly and spins in a three sixty, redirecting the water swiftly to her left, causing the sudden blast of water to hit Sokka; much to Naruto's amusement.

Katara charges at Pakku who builds an ice ramp in defense, to which Katara slides up and lands on a nearby post. Naruto, who was running right behind Katara hits the ramp not a moment after with a powerful leaping punch; as his fist connects with the ice, the world seems to slow down, before the icy shield shatters into a million pieces, the sheer force of the punch sending Pakku spiraling backward but not completely to the ground.

Looking at Naruto with disdain, the Sage leaps fifteen feet into the air with his fist ready to come down on Pakku's head, only to be blasted away by a powerful stream of water from the older man. Pakku redirects his attention to Katara, who begins flinging torrents of water at him, which he easily redirects to his sides and collects to form a stronger aquatic blast to fire at the girl; only for Katara to freeze her feet down and redirect the blast away.

"You can't knock me down!"

A small collaboration of the crowd cheers, much to Naruto's approval and Hahn's annoyance. Katara and Naruto both charge at Pakku again, ready to physically engage him combat. The Master forms another icy shield but it is quickly liquefied and tossed away by Katara's Waterbending, the two youths begin to assault Pakku with a torrent of physical blows, which the elder Tribe member begins to dodge elegantly only to be gradually pushed back by the ferocity of the attack.

Pakku back flips and whips another torrent of water towards the youths, whipping Katara into a nearby pool while striking Naruto dead on in the chest, who's feet scrape across the ice as the aquatic elements push him backward in an attempt to regain balance.

Naruto lurches forward against the wave, dispelling by throwing both of his arms forward, much to Pakku's surprise. He clasps his hands together, performs multiple signs and then stretches both his hands forward while slamming his feet down in concentration.

"Suiton: Josho Warupamusu no Jutsu!"

Two great blasts of water that reassemble two spiraling tornado's launch out of Naruto's hands with great force, so much so the Sage is blasted back a bit by his own technique as he feet skid through the ice. Pakku's eyes widen as he extends his palms to disable the attack, all the while he is rapidly pushed back by the massive surge of water.

The old man eventually manages to redirect at least fifty percent of each surging whirlpool to his sides which crash against the icy floor, scarring the battlefield with their might. Unable to direct the other fifty percent, Pakku is launched backward and is sent skidding across the ice before quickly regaining his balance.

Naruto, whose attack ended up pushing him back to the pool Katara was launched in; looks to the water to see that Katara has already risen from the shallows with a furious look of determination on her face. Both look at each with confidence brimming in their eyes, nodding at one another before resuming their fighting poses. Pakku looks at them both with a look of cockiness and a bit of frustration, who is already well prepared for their next assault despite Naruto's unexpected might.

Katara summons a small pillar of ice from the water, her hands skimming across the top like a chef preparing to serve his meal. She sends out a multitude of icy discs at the Master through manipulating the surface of the pillar, to which Pakku begins breaking many of said objects with his wrists and hands. Preparing to aid in the long ranged assault, Naruto performs more hand signs, and extends his index fingers, middle fingers and thumbs from both of his hands at the now defensive elder Tribesman.

"Hyoton: Shado o Nagetsuke no Jutsu!"

A series of numerous, small shards of ice begin to fire from Naruto's fingers, as he extends both of his hands back and forth while launching the attack at his and Katara's aggressor. Between breaking the icy discs and not being able to keep up with the dozens of tiny chunks of ice being launched at him, Pakku is gradually pressed back as he continually pelted. A hopeful smile passes Katara's face, only for the old man to rise his arms up in frustration and disable the oncoming projectiles with ease.

Naruto grits his teeth in anticipation and raises his right hand in the air, water begins to spiral around it an alarming rate and soon his entire arm is engulfed in water and is easily quadruple the size of any normal person's arm. Pakku notes the extreme bizarreness of Naruto's Waterbending, and almost lets his guard down as the youth literally flies right at him; the water from his makeshift aquatic arm literally propelling him at an alarming speed towards him.

"Suiton: Suisei Ken o Kyujosho!"

Pakku extends his right hand adamantly, preparing for the incoming attack and taking it full force in his palm. The torrent of spiraling water begins to burn against his hand; a smirk from Naruto is barely visible under Pakku's eyesight. The Sage's smile turns to a frown of displeasure when the elder Tribesman begins to bend his own Jutsu against him.

Pakku manipulates the water from Naruto's Jutsu spiraling in the opposite direction at a rapid pace; sending Naruto literally flying backwards twenty feet through the air and colliding with a nearby wall, falling into the pool below him unceremoniously.

Before he has time to smile at the youth's seeming defeat, a large wave of water connects with him, taking him by surprise. Katara continues to apply pressure to the torrent, only for Pakku to reverse it into an even larger torrent and sends it in her direction; blasting the adamant girl several feet away. Breathing heavily and tired, Katara rises to her feet nonetheless; an epitome of determination, alongside Naruto who emerges from the pool while craning his neck from his crash.

Katara suddenly raises her hands and sends two massive snow pillars in Pakku's direction, much to Naruto's surprise about how willing the girl is to prove herself. Before either attack can connect, Pakku turns them both into a dust mist of snow almost instantly, looking on at the youths in amusement.

"Color me impressed, you two are most certainly excellent Benders indeed; I never thought I'd ever see a woman Bend as well as you do, girl." Pakku proclaims, a small hint of respect in his voice. Katara pants past her exhaustion, looking up at the old man with a tiny look of spite still evident in her eyes.

"But you still won't teach me, will you?"

"No."

Naruto smirks at Pakku's stubbornness, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

Katara bends over sharply and sends a wave of ice towards Pakku, to which he raises on ice pillar below him in defense, afterwards quickly liquefying it and charges straight towards the youths aggressively. Naruto launches himself at Pakku with an airborne spinning kick, only to be blasted to the left by a small ice pillar created by the Waterbending Master.

In response Katara launches another torrent of water against Pakku, to which he aptly freezes and slides across, striking her across the face as he passes and knocking her necklace off in the process. Pakku lands near the rim of a nearby pool, to which he summons all of its contents and freezes it into several large spears of broken ice, launching them all at Katara who has yet to regain her footing.

Looking up at she interprets to be her doom, Katara closes her eyes and waits for pain to rack her body, only for no such feelings of misery to come. Opening her eyes slowly she sees the spears are being held in place by Naruto's outstretched palms, who adamantly holds Pakku's Bending from attacking Katara any further.

Nodding to Katara in a motion to attack, the Sage crushes the spears by clenching his fists tightly, creating a snowy mist that Katara uses as camouflage to create a wave which she rides to attack Pakku with.

The surprised Waterbending Master has little time to react to the sneak attack, which Katara disembarks from her wave and launches it at the elder man, crashing into him full force, yet Pakku refuses to lose any footing regardless. Naruto runs next Katara's side, nodding to her once more as a sign of comfort.

The crowd is more or less silent at this point, too shocked to even add their own verbal output to the fight. No one in their entire Tribe had ever once held their own against Pakku this long, yet these two were keeping him on the ropes this entire time.

"Katara, let's end this quickly, I may be strong but I don't wish to continue this fight any further; he has much more experience than me when it comes to the Water Element, I just happen to pack more of a punch." Naruto exclaimed, looking at the mocha skinned girl with fire in his eyes. She nodded back with all the passion she could muster, glaring at Pakku once more with determination and a bit of spite.

"Add your own Bending to mine Katara, this will finish it!" The Sage shouted, performing multiple hand signatures and then clasping his hands together at the very end.

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!"

A massive spiraling formation of water appeared around Naruto, which ringed around him multiple times before taking to the air to reveal an almost serpentine form. Using what strength she had left, Katara used her own Bending to enhance the technique with a completely different of water encircling it to add a sort of aquatic armor to the already versatile attack.

Much to everyone's shock, the snake-like formation took the form of a roaring aquatic dragon, baring its liquid fangs at Pakku with unbound ferocity.

Standing side by side in their Bending poses , the two youths launch their combined water serpent forward at Pakku full force, a faint roar is heard by everyone present but it is dismissed as their imaginations overcoming them.

Pakku extends both his hands forward fiercely, in hopes of at least redirecting or possibly fully controlling the aquatic monster back on its Masters. Unfortunately the elder Tribesman has no such luck, and is unable to control the combined Chakra and Chi from both Naruto and Katara, with the Water Dragon crashing down unto him unaltered at a monstrous pace; a violent explosion of water and Pakku's muffled screams echo through the area.

A collection of gasps from the nearby cloud spread discontent and disbelief through the wind as the mist clears, Pakku evidently still standing from the destructive technique. Naruto's eyes widen in disbelief, impressed that the old man can continue to stand after a direct hit from such a strong Jutsu. Katara herself looks ready to fall over, most of her balance relying with leaning against Naruto's rugged arm.

Pakku's eyes falter and his muscles twitch, his legs and arms shaking from fatigue and overexertion of his skills. The Waterbending Master takes two steps forward, as Naruto and Katara both enter their fighting poses once more. After the third step, the old man falls to his knees, his hands outstretched to the icy floor below him to keep him from falling completely.

"I…I…submit…your combined skills are more than a match for me. You two have won this fight…this battle is over." Pakku exhaustedly claims, stumbling to his feet out of weakness, bowing ever so slightly out of both respect and of fatigue.

A small silence overtook the crowd, which was quickly replaced by the cheering and clapping of many of the peasants and their children. Aang and Sokka were the loudest amongst the group, with several of the nobles joining in as well, including both Chieftain Arnook and Princess Yue. Some of the royals however clapped very hesitantly, while some didn't bother clapping at all; one of which was Hahn whose expression had remained nearly unchanged since the fight started.

As Pakku regained his stature he calmly began to walk over to the youths who had defeated him, he felt a lump underneath his right following his fourth step. He looked down to see that he had planted his foot on Katara's necklace, while he hadn't damaged it, he did recognize it. The old man picked it up frailly, staring at with a deep look of sorrow and regret. Katara almost immediately lunged out at Pakku in attempt to grab it, which he barely managed to hold onto in the process.

"Give me back my necklace!" Katara hissed.

"Thi-this…this is my necklace…" Pakku murmured softly, a look of bewilderment on Katara's face.

"I made this for necklace for the love of my life…for Kanna…" The Waterbending Master muttered, a tone of loss evident in his voice.

"My Gran-Gran was supposed to marry you?" Katara asked curiously.

She had known her grandmother very well, she had very become her own mother figure after the death of her real mother at the hands of a Fire Nation foot soldier. But was being said here made no since to her, her own grandmother was supposed to marry Pakku? A grouchy, arrogant, chauvinistic bitter man whose reverence for tradition blinded his better judgment?

"I'd say she chose very poorly, given I see before me I can't see why someone with the same blood as this warrior would ever want to be with someone like you." Naruto scoffed, earning a few gasps from both the nobles and the peasants. Even Katara glared at Naruto with just the smallest sense of disdain, she was grateful that he had fought alongside her to put Pakku in his place and even more impressed by his skills; but that did not mean she condoned rubbing salt in the wound of a beaten opponent.  
_

*Zhao's Vessel*

Having finished his long drinking session of herbal tea and well aged wine with Admiral Zhao, Iroh continues to trek down the ever looming hallways of the massive ship with a small speed evident in his footsteps. A foot soldier begins to walk past him, a small glint in his eye signaling a trace of sorrow and of wounded pride.

As the two cross each other's paths, they stop momentarily, not turning to gaze at one another.

"Our plan is working perfectly, Zhao doesn't suspect a thing; your identity is safe, for now." Iroh mutters.

"You didn't have to do this." The man under the helmet says in an almost sad tone, adjusting his mask so he could be heard properly.

"No nephew of mine is going to stow away on a ship without some backup." The somewhat intoxicated old man smiles, chuckling ever so slightly.

"Thank you, Uncle." The incognito Prince responds, adjusting his mask so his face is no longer visible.

"You should know that your sister, Princess Azula, is aboard this vessel, as are her companions along with a new follower who I have yet to meet; apparently this recent addition to the crew is causing quite a stir."

"Azula is here?" Zuko practically spat, clenching his fists ever so tightly.

He couldn't lose this chance, if she were to capture or slay the Avatar before him it would just further mark him for shame. This was his one and only opportunity to appease his father, he COULDN'T give it to anyone else; especially his sister of all people.

The sound of footsteps echoes through the hall, approaching the position of Iroh and Zuko with great haste.

"Quick, someone is coming, stay hidden until we get to the North Pole and the Avatar will be yours. Good luck, my Prince." Iroh whispers softly, as Zuko quickly exits through a door on his right and Iroh continues to walk ever forward through the spiraling halls.

On the way down his path, Iroh crosses a particularly suspicious dark girl, who recognizes him near instantly and sports a friendly wave as she passes him. He nods with a small grin across his face, passing in an attempt to seem nonchalant.

The girl looks around the hallways curiously, almost looking for something with her eyes peeked with suspicion.

_I could've sworn I heard him…he sounded so close._

_This ship must be getting to me…I need an aspirin._  
_

*Northern Water Tribe*

"I carved this necklace for your grandmother when we got engaged. I thought we would live a long, happy life together…I loved her." Pakku murmured softly. As he clutched on to the necklace tightly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked over his shoulder calmly to see Katara's face now devoid of anger but more filled with pity then anything.

"But she didn't love you, didn't she? It was an arranged marriage; my grandmother wouldn't let your stupid customs run her life. That's why she left…it must've taken a lot of courage." Katara spoke adamantly, earning a small smile of respect from Naruto in the process.

Tears began to trail down Yue's eyes, to which she wiped them clean with her noble gloves before anyone could notice her inherent sadness. Sokka was the only one to catch a glimpse of her sorrow, to which he tried to comfort her by holding her hand, only to halt such an action after a violent gaze from Hahn.

Naruto walked forward as both Pakku and Katara turned to face him, and to Pakku's surprise, he bowed ever so slightly.

"As a warrior, you have earned my respect, Master Pakku. You are truly an adept Waterbender, even though I daresay my own strengths pack more power than yours do, I cannot deny that you most likely have more skill over Water than I do."

"I do not hate you Oji-san, but I urge you to consider bringing Katara under your wing. Though our semblance of teamwork is what defeated you, it required two to bring you down, not one; and Katara was the first one to challenge you, not I. She has proven her worth as a warrior and as a woman, far more so than most I expect."

"I am already satisfied with this outcome, the honor you insulted has been restored upon your defeat. If there is anything more I would ask of you, it would be to remember that while tradition must be revered; in time everything must change, regardless of how old it is. In times of war, you must look to all those who stand by you, and not discriminate by who is and who is not a man; Katara has proved such a rule defunct. I trust in your greater wisdom, Pakku Sensei."

Assuming a respectful pose, Naruto bowed in a much more customary manner, truly wishing to show respect instead of mocking the elder man now. Looking at both the mysterious lad and Katara, he smiled slowly and bowed to them both out of respect. Katara joined in their unison, to which of the three had shown their respect for one another not just as men and women; but as warriors alike.

A mock clap of slow repeated sounds granted the attention of both the three and of the rest of the crowd, nobles and peasants alike. Hahn almost arrogantly stepped forward, a smug smile adorning his face. Naruto glared underneath his mask as both Sokka and his sibling showed a similar look of contempt for the haughty noble as he approached Master Pakku almost casually.

"While this has been an interesting comedic play, I believe it's time for it to be brought to an end, wouldn't you say Master Pakku? With your permission Chieftain Arnook, I'd like to have these four properly 'escorted' out of this Tribe." Hahn chuckled haughtily, earning a resounding glare from most of the peasants as well as Aang's entire company.

"B-but we won this fight! Does this not demonstrate that we have earned our place here?" Katara practically spat.

Hahn rolled his eyes and shrugged, cracking his necking and sighing heavily afterwards. "It may have earned the place of any Northern Water Tribe member, but keep in mind that despite whatever skills you both possess you ultimately just a foreigner and a mere woman." Hahn stated casually, to which a resounding wave of 'boos' from the nearby crowd of peasants clearly showed their disapproval at the actions of the lesser Lord.

"And besides, there's still the fact that your loathsome lout of a brother has not properly paid for his crime in showing such familiarity with my fiancée; you four should consider yourselves lucky that I don't have you imprisoned for such impertinence." Hahn laughed arrogantly, to which Sokka blew a raspberry in his direction, much to Yue's amusement as she tried to stifle a giggle.

Katara stepped forward aggressively, making Hahn back up quite a few steps at the obviously re-angered girl.

"And what of Aang! Would you cast us out without being tutored by Pakku in order to properly master Waterbending? He's made it perfectly clear that he has to master all Four Elements in order to defeat the Fire Lord, would you doom the world because of your petty pride?" Katara practically shouted, to which Hahn straightened his jacket and flung his hair back flamboyantly.

"That is an exaggeration at best; surely the Avatar can find a Waterbending Master outside of our illustrious Tribe, as difficult may be to a person matching Pakku's qualities I have no doubt it is indeed possible. As for the journey of finding such a person, you and your brother should've obviously thought more about the consequences of your actions before flying against our traditions; you both should've known your place." The Lord almost chuckled, strolling casually over to his Chieftain as Katara resisted the urge to run up to Hahn and slug him.

"Well, Chieftain Arnook? Should I give the order to expel them or do you want that honor? A pleasure like that I would not dare deny you." Hahn said smugly.

"No…I believe they've earned their place here." Arnook grinned widely, as Aang's group couldn't help but smile brightly as the nearby citizens cheered in approval; even many of the nobles clapped at their Chieftain's decision with gusto.

Hahn on the other hand, was less than pleased, his mouth gaping in a disgusted sense of awe.

"B-but my Lord! These strangers have dishonored one of our most ancient of traditions! Are they to be unpunished for such impertinence? And what of the slovenly fool of this woman, who has shown such familiarity with your daughter; is he to be forgiven as well!" Hahn shouted angrily.

"Hey, I'm still standing over here ya know." Sokka commented nonchalantly.

Arnook sighed heavily walking over to the three warriors who had just done battle, his eyes mainly fixing on Katara's. "Maybe it's time that we look past such traditions…perhaps in the future both men and women of our Tribe can stand as one; Katara has certainly proved a woman can hold her weight in the battlefield."

Many of the women of the crowd gave a nod of approval at Arnook's gesture; even the most royal females of Hahn's escort seemed to bend to such a notion. The small Lord on the other hand, was growing ever more frustrated by the minute.

"Chieftain Arnook, I beg of you to reconsider, the actions of one woman, in which said female is a peasant amongst all things, cannot be allowed to tear down our customs just because of one petty victory; which was not even earned fully on her part due to foreigner's intervention!"

"Esteemed Master Pakku, please try to talk some sense into our Lord, clearly you of all people see the reverence for the traditions at hand!"

Arnook merely shook his head in a disappointed fashion at Hahn's rambling; even some of the lesser Lord's own followers now bore looks of disapproval on their faces. Pakku stepped forward ever so slightly, his mouth twisting to find the right words.

"Perhaps, Lord Hahn, it is we men who have been wrong all this time. If a women like Katara truly exist among us, who are we to judge them for their gender? Perhaps a warrior's spirit cannot be judged by such things after all, I feel we men who have led the Tribe for generations have made a fatal mistake. These two have taught me that through their passion in battle, that I have been wrong all this time; that my callousness and reverence for chauvinistic traditions cost me a person who I truly loved."

"It is we who must change Lord Hahn, not them. If anything, I feel you could learn something from them as well." Pakku stated proudly, putting his arms on both the smaller and taller youths before him. A resounding cry of approval from both the nobles and peasants filled the air, even earning a round of applause from Chieftain Arnook himself; much to Hahn's shock and anger.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, old friend." Arnook noted calmly, a smile crossing across Pakku's face.

Hahn stomped his foot in anger and then threw his arms up in the air like a wild animal in frustration. "You're throwing one of our oldest commandments away just because of this girl! Have you both gone mad! Don't tell me you actually plan to take this woman under your wing Master Pakku!"

Pakku sneered at Hahn angrily, frightening the pitiful man momentarily before he regained his footing. "As a matter of fact I am; both the Avatar and this astounding young woman are hereby welcome as my students."

Hahn shook his head angrily in disbelief, turning to his Chieftain.

"And what about this slovenly peasant presuming such familiarity with my future wife and your daughter, Chieftain Arnook? Are we to let such perversions of an engaged noble, your daughter, slide easily as well!"

A snowball then connected with the side of Hahn's face, which practically melted upon impact due to the sheer anger of the lesser Lord. He looked at Sokka in a state of fury, who was twiddling his thumbs and whistling to avoid suspicion; though the muffled laughter of both the peasants and royals made it obvious he was the assailant.

Chieftain Arnook looked at his daughter sternly, who flinched from seeing the resounding gaze of her father; staring into her very being.

"My daughter, has Sokka made any attempt to physically upset and or violate you?" Arnook asked in almost dangerous tone, to which an audible 'eep' of dismay was heard from Sokka's direction; while Aang himself couldn't help but snicker at his friend's fright.

Yue waved her hands in almost a frantic motion, as if trying to swat away invisible ice flies. "Of course not f-father, Sokka is a good man; he only wanted to make conversation with me outside of the royal hall, personally I found a lot of it most riveting."

Sokka scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, trying to hide his clearly visible blush amongst the crowd much to his sister's amusement. Arnook nodded slightly, putting his hands on his waist in a completed manner.

"Well then, I guess that settles it." The Chieftain declared, making Hahn nearly fall over in the snow out of frustration.

"You're just going to take her word for it! She could be telling a fabricated version of what really happened to protect the Avatar's company!" Hahn exclaimed exhaustedly.

Arnook's eyes narrowed aggressively, a look of anger present on his face. He took five resounding steps forward, each one making Hahn back up anxiously. "Lord Hahn…are you trying to imply that my daughter is a liar?"

"N-no, of course not my Lord. I'm merely suggesting that-"

"Hahn?"

"Y-yes, my Lord?"

"Be quiet."

Hahn stood by in silence, shocked at how his own Chieftain was agreeing in terms of defending those who had gone against their traditions. Not only that, but he was defending a peasant who was attempting to go beyond his place and presume familiarity with his own fiancée; such ignorance couldn't go unpunished.

By now most of the citizens had begun to wander off, feeling the matter was adequately solved. Even most of the nobility from both the Northern Tribe itself and of Hahn's own company had already started returning to their stations, leaving any support the lesser Lord hoped to gain as a now nonexistent advantage.

Yue, Aang and Sokka walked next to each other past an angered Hahn to their friends, Yue sharing a moment of serenity with her father, as Sokka and Aang both congratulated Katara and Naruto for a battle well fought. Naruto's eye seemed fixated on both Yue and Hahn, looking at both of them through peripheral vision in an attempt to study them.

Naruto walked forward out of the group that had concealed him, gathering the attention of the people he left behind and of the still enraged Hahn. His azure eye stared into Hahn's very being, studying him even further than before, almost judging him.

"What? What is that you want, foreigner?" Hahn spat venomously.

Naruto shrugged and shook his head from side to side nonchalantly, looking at Hahn with a sense of contempt and disappointment.

"You are Yue's betrothed, are you not?" Naruto asked sternly, to which Hahn gritted his teeth in anger in response.

"You damn well know I am!" Hahn shouted.

"May I make a suggestion?" Naruto stated.

"And what is that?"

"Act like it."

A resounding 'ooh' sound resonated from Sokka's direction, which was quickly silenced from a blow to his arm from Katara. A noticeable tension was evident in the air; Hahn's eyes were filled with enough contempt to try to burn through Naruto's mask, but the strange visitor's stance would not falter.

Growling in frustration, Hahn drew his sword from its scabbard, pointing it directly at Naruto. A series of collective gasps from passing noble's made the event known to others of the oncoming confrontation, and soon enough a crowd of royals had gathered around to observe what would occur.

"Hahn, stand down! As your Chieftain I demand you relinquish your arms against our new friend and ally; he has earned his place amongst this Tribe." Arnook yelled in an authoritative tone in hopes to subdue the practically enraged lesser Lord. Yue herself now looked on frantically, not wanting the peculiar but wise man to be injured by her overprotective and over-reactive fiancé.

Hahn shook his head in rage, glaring at Naruto even further with additional spite. "My Chieftain you will have to forgive me, but I cannot stand down now; I will not surrender my arms to this…foreigner! He has aided those who would stand against our traditions and now he insults my honor as Yue's betrothed and as a warrior! I cannot abide by such arrogance; he must punished for his stupidity!"

Naruto sighed lightly and stepped forward three spaces, raising his right hand up in the air as a swirling fixture of light engulfed his palm; after the luminescence had disappeared a katana was revealed to have taken its place within his hand.

It appeared to be of fine craftsman ship, a silver ivory handle accompanied by a gleaming white blade that shone as brightly as the snow. Naruto swung the sword from left to right twice, before pointing it in Hahn's direction with gusto. Much of the crowd was perplexed at the sudden summoning of the sword, it surely hadn't accompanied the youth on his back or even his sides; it just popped right out of thin air.

_How the heck did he do that? That's no type of Bending I've ever seen or heard about before._

Such were Aang's thoughts, though they would remain in his own mind; unheard by Naruto's mentality.

"This is my mother's sword, the Onibacho. It was passed down through her family for generations, each next of kin to the royal bloodline would inherit this blade to protect and strive for the future of the Uzumaki Clan. More than half of my heritage itself rests with this silver blade, and it has taken more lives than any normal sword ever has; from both my ownership and from those who wielded it before me."

"It is a sacred weapon made of silver, ivory, blood, sweat and tears…you of all people are not worthy to face it in battle; yet you have demanded for me to engage you in the fight. If you truly wish to fight me, then I am accept your challenge, but you must come at me with everything you have as a warrior, prove to me that you are indeed worthy of being Yue's betrothed; as I suspect that she deserves far better a partner than you."

None of the nobles had time to gasp or feign embarrassment for Hahn, who had already charge off madly against Naruto with his sword held high; screaming like a maniac the entire time. Arnook and Pakku looked at each other briefly during Hahn's charge; perhaps a bit of humility would do the Lord good.

Naruto sighed heavily as Hahn continued to run at him, his stance was beyond sloppy; he could literally point out twelve different things Hahn had done wrong at the very start. But no wasn't the time to critique him, it was time to humble him.

Hahn came down with a strong but clumsy downward swing, to which Naruto merely sidestepped the attack and stuck his right foot out; sending Hahn tumbling to the snow below with an unceremonious thud. The infuriated man didn't stay on the cold ground for long, grabbing his sword in a frantic manner as he rose while slashing upward near Naruto's neck.

Moving back ever so slightly, the blonde warrior dodged Hahn's initial attack, and then continued to parry every other attempt to skewer him while holding his mother's sword with only his right hand. It was becoming fairly obvious that Hahn had little training in actual swordplay, perhaps the nobleman had only carried his weapon for show and to look intimidating in hopes of bluffing of any attackers.

Even so the angry Inuit's current attempts to injure him were pitiful at best, he was even less than of an average fighter than Naruto himself had anticipated; the Sage hadn't fought opponents with such mediocre skills in a long, long time.

Hahn lazily spun around to cut Naruto in half with a one eight slash, only to find that when he turned his opponent wasn't in front of him or defeated, in fact, he had vanished. Several collective gasps made it obvious the mysterious youth was still present, to which Hahn looked up to see Naruto balancing himself on the sword used to attack him while his azure and viridian eyes mocked the royal with a look of disappointment.

"T-that's impossible! N-n-no normal p-person should be able to-" Hahn began to exclaim, before Naruto's jumped ever so slightly and delivered a stiff kick to the Lord's face; sending the now almost paranoid royal skidding across the ground, his blade landing next to him.

As Hahn regained his balance, he saw Naruto land in the spot where he was previously, who now flashed a non-visible smirk behind his mask.

"I know what you were going to say Hahn, and no, it's not impossible for a normal person to do what I just did. All I did was rebalance my weight so you wouldn't feel it on your sword, that way I wouldn't crash into the ground and you wouldn't immediate notice me." Naruto stated.

"Start talking sense!" Hahn yelled, grabbing his sword amongst the snow, once more charging like a madman; earning a collective sigh from Pakku, Arnook and Naruto at the noble's lack of tactics.

Naruto didn't even have to attempt to block most of Hahn's swings now; most of them were missing now since the boy had become so consumed by his anger. The attacks that did connect with Naruto's Onibacho were so unfocused that the Sage had barely noticed the swords made contact at all, even less so damaging one another.

Yue's betrothed attempted to cleave Naruto in half with a small running slash, in which the Sage bent his body downward at just the right angle so the blade ended up cutting only a few of his bangs. As Hahn turned around to strike again a sturdy, powerful backhanded fist connected with his face; Naruto had only turned his body halfway to deliver the attack, yet Hahn still spiraled to the ground the same as before.

Hahn coughed a bit of blood, crimson water leaking onto the snow below, something that Arnook and Pakku noted with concern. Naruto raised his left hand to keep them at bay, assuring them that Hahn was in no immediate danger. The infuriated prince hadn't taken any damage to his ribs; the blood he spit up was merely from a now fractured nose and a busted lip.

"That was a light punch at best Hahn, I didn't think you'd suffer this much damage already. Good thing I put even less effort in that kick that I booted you with earlier, or else your face might've caved in on itself." Naruto smugly stated, as Hahn growled trying to regain his balance.

Groggily rising to his feet, Hahn held his blade loosely has the hilt rattled in his hands; an evident sign of his fatigue and frustration. Raising Onibacho to his own level, the golden haired Sage smirked at the now exhausted warrior before him, insinuating that he would make the first move now rather than defend or counterattack.

Hahn leapt towards Naruto in aerial bound, his sword coming down from the sky to meet with Naruto's mask. Outstretching his hand upward in almost crescent motion, Naruto's silver blade met with Hahn's ever so briefly, and the warrior soon crash rolled to the ground behind the Sage soon after his attack.

The noble quickly began checking himself for even the slightest cut by the foreigner's katana, intent on making sure he was not too badly injured to continue what he perceived as a battle still underway. Much to his delight, there was not a mark to be found on his body, despite the first true attack of the man with the sun-kissed hair.

"Ha! Your first true attack against me and you miss! Looks like all you could really do was dodge and retaliate properly." Hahn spouted haughtily, a forced mock chuckle escaping his lungs; which was quickly ended upon hearing no retaliation from his silent opponent.

"I didn't miss, Hahn. You've lost this battle, completely and utterly." Naruto said somberly, raising his hand that held Onibacho up in the air once more, and like before how the sword initially appeared, it vanished a luminescent white light.

Before Hahn could respond, the warrior noted a slight creaking sound coming from his sword; upon inspecting it further, a thin by plainly visible line was drawn across his blade. And like clockwork, half of the blade slipped off from the rest of its steel without a sound; hitting the snow with a light, pathetic thud.

Many of the nobles, regardless of whom their allegiance was to serve, nodded their heads in approval and started to clap and applaud this foreign warrior for his impressive swordsmanship; which Hahn took to heart and his icy gaze fixated on Naruto even further. The Sage didn't bother to even turn his head to look in Hahn's direction, dismissing the now defeated man as a fallen adversary at best.

"All I needed to truly defeat you Hahn was one attack…just one. Your steel has broken just as easily as your pride, and you have proven my suspicions about your correct; on in the inside and on the outside you are an ugly person. Your consistent chauvinism, lack of respect for others, and constantly expecting to be waited hand and foot are some of your most fatal flaws; but above all, you do not truly care for Princess Yue, who deserves far greater than you." Naruto spoke almost solemnly, as Hahn gritted his teeth in absolute fury.

Yue on the other hand was almost elated that someone had spoken for her in such an honest way without fear of ridicule; and that that person had such an admiration and respect for her as a woman and just as a Princess.

"What right do you have to judge me! You're nothing but a lousy foreigner!" Hahn spat hatefully, a look of disapproval and shame evident in the eyes of his noble entourage.

"Even now you fail to grasp the obvious, you do not even TRY to understand, do you? If you truly cared for Yue, that you truly, deeply loved her; you would've been able to defeat me. THAT is what gives me the right to judge you as a coward; it is not your lack of strength as a warrior, your consistent chauvinism and xenophobia, or even your spoiled, piss poor attitude…it's that you lacked the passion to show that you claim to care for a woman that you do not truly love or respect."

Aang and his friends looked upon Naruto with respect; even Sokka had come to admit that the man who stood in front of him was much more trustworthy than he had initially thought. Yue was practically in tears, touched that a man so powerful and wise obviously sought better for her.

"Chieftain Arnook, may I make a suggestion?" Naruto quipped, earning the attention of the somewhat shocked leader.

"Yes, Naruto? What is it you'd like to say?" Arnook responded calmly.

"I suggest finding your daughter a more worthy man to marry, perhaps one who would truly love her rather than just seeking his own fortune; better yet, have her decide who she wants to marry. Someone like Yue deserves to make that choice on her own, we have both seen what tradition has brought her; and the result is more than disappointing." Naruto sighed heavily, Hahn's hatred practically melting the snow around him in response.

There was a moment of silence in the crowd, many of whom were too shocked to think that the foreigner would make such a request; even following a successful duel with the lesser Lord. Arnook cupped his chin in thought for a few moments, and then turned his gaze to Naruto once more.

"I will consider your words highly, Naruto. Clearly you have proved today that some of our traditions are indeed a weakness; an oversight we cannot dare to overlook any further." The Chieftain replied wholeheartedly, earning an emotional gaze from his obviously elated daughter. Yue could never truly emphasize how much she truly did not care for Hahn, but now that there was the possibility that her father would let her chooser her own husband; how could she not show happiness.

One person less than jubilant of course was Hahn himself, whose flames of anger burned even brighter than they ever had before. This foreigner had bested him in combat as a warrior in front of his betrothed and his own entourage, verbally accosted him in front of his peers, and even got his betrothed's father to think about reconsidering their union.

It was the ultimate insult, it couldn't go unpunished.

Hahn picked up his halved sword and ran towards Naruto like a madman, screaming in anger the entire way. A series of collective gasps and even shouts of horror filled the air, alerting an already on guard Naruto to his defeated opponent's charge.

"NARUTO!"

Those were the shouts of many, including the Avatar's entire group along with a now distraught Princess Yue; who could only watch in horror as her near rabid betrothed closed the gap with himself and Naruto between every passing second. Turning his head ever so slightly to see his oncoming attacker, Naruto turned his body fully to face Hahn; but strangely enough did not raise his arms to defend himself.

Hahn's halved blade came down on Naruto's opaque mask, slicing it down near the middle section in a maddened attempt at vengeance. The entire world seemed to slow down for everyone, everyone accept Naruto of course. The skull-like mask while obviously damaged did not completely shatter, only showing a large crack rather than breaking off into two separate pieces. For just a moment, Hahn thought he had injured his mysterious enemy in at least some way; but was heavily distraught to see the now glaring azure eye looking down at him in fury.

Before anyone could respond or try to restrain Hahn further, a stiff punch connected with Hahn's face once more, this one sent him skidding at least seven times across the ground; an evident amount of force put in the attack much more so than any present in the duel beforehand. Naruto walked ever so calmly to the now twitching body of Hahn, picking him up by his color to reveal a now heavily damaged face complete with a broken nose, swollen eye, busted lip, and several teeth absent in a now crooked smile.

"I actually put a little bit of strength into that one Hahn, how does it feel to have some of your teeth knocked down your throat?" Naruto rasped violently, his azure eye slowly turning into a slit; though from the angle only Hahn could witness the change. Coughing up some of his blood on to Naruto's mask, the Sage put the lesser Lord gently on the ground before taking two steps back; making multiple hand signs before stating his technique.

Raising his right hand gently in the air, the Sage only let out a faint whisper.

"Suiton: Akuabureido no Jutsu."

Katara and Aang's eyes widened in remembrance of the attack, yelling out to the Sage to not strike a potentially fatal blow. Their cries went unheard by Naruto's determination, a blade of condensed water forming at his fingertips. Bringing the liquid sword down with a stiff horizontal swing, a scream of agony racked the ears of all those present. As Naruto walked towards Arnook casually, Hahn could be seen shouting in utmost pain, his body splashing amongst a now reddening snow.

The hands he had used to strike the Sage from behind now littered the ground; two bloodied stumps had replaced them in their stead. Naruto merely looked at Arnook once from behind his mask, an icy flare evident behind his eyes.

"Arnook, summon your healers to assist Lord Hahn; he will most likely die of blood loss if you do not." Naruto casually quipped, walking by a now shocked group who had just come to respect him.

The Chieftain nodded slowly and corralled his best healers to assist the distraught lesser Lord, while the Sage continued to walk down the steps as if nothing happened. Yue's face bore a look of a horrified amazement, shocked that any person could control Water in such a way; and even more stunned to think that any man would display such violence upon another.

As the golden haired man began to fade from the scene, Katara and Aang both nodded at each other in agreement; to which they began to jog after the vanishing Sage.

It wasn't long before they caught up to him, the unique stranger stood on a small bridge to near the urban areas nonchalantly; acting as if nothing had happened. This disturbed Aang greatly, to think that any person could perform such a violent act without batting an eye lash. Angrily approaching him, the Avatar's usually gentle eyes glared at Naruto with a determined amount of anger present within them.

"That wasn't necessary Naruto, you went way too far!" Aang shouted furiously, Katara now sported a small glare herself, despite having come to initially respect Naruto for his power and general character.

Naruto turned his head slowly, his one good eye making contact with Aang's vision. "Did I? Or did I not go far enough? The fool needed to be taught a lesson in both respect and humility, I just happened to give it to him."

"You've crippled him for life!" Aang retorted.

"And such is the lesson of a fool who learned his lesson too late; even in defeat he failed to understand the concept of humility, even attacking me while my back was turned." The masked stranger replied casually, truly not giving a damn that he had crippled Yue's betrothed. Katara stepped in front of an angered Aang, caring to voice to her own opinion to the unusual man.

"I can understand wanting to teach Hahn a lesson in humility, Ancestors know he earned it, but you went a step too far in teaching him such a lesson." Katara calmly stated, surprising Aang greatly that his friend was managing to keep her cool more than he was despite his training as a Monk.

Naruto turned full circle to mocha skinned girl, looking her deep in her sapphire blue eyes sternly. "Traitors, cowards and fools are of the same category Katara-chan; they need to be put in their place before endangering the lives of others, this was a lesson I learned far too late back in Boroshi. If you fail to teach those who would strike you when your back is turned that such actions will not go unpunished, they shall continue to injure you and the ones you love; this I cannot abide by, not ever again."

The younger teens eyes widened at Naruto's cold words, not exactly sure what to make of them. In truth he was probably right about said traitors, but enacting on such a belief without hesitation or remorse seemed far too brutal to them both.

"Couldn't you have just forgiven him?" Aang pleaded desperately, trying to appeal to Naruto's humanity. The Sage shook his head, folding his arms elegantly.

"Perhaps, but if I had a may have doomed another to befall the same fate of cowardice that Hahn attempted to invoke upon me. Not as many are as strong as me, or as lucky; they most likely would've been disfigured by his brazen stupidity otherwise; and I cannot be responsible for such maiming on my accord if I could've done something to prevent it in the first place." Naruto responded factually.

Aang was at a loss for words, never before had he come across someone with such a cold, brutal even if factual philosophy. Everything Naruto was claiming to believe in went against his own beliefs, the training of the ways of a Monk that he had learned from his dearly departed Master, Gyasto. Even if Naruto was truly right in such matters, did it truly give him the right to exercise such a philosophy?

"Enforcing respect through fear is the way of the Fire Nation, not of a savior; your own beliefs border awfully close to the ones who have tried to enslave this world." Katara menacingly stated, earning a surprised glance from Naruto.

"Truly? And what exactly have they done to ensure dominion upon you all? The last I heard they sought to unify the Four Nations, hardly what I'd call villainous." Naruto stated curiously, as Katara and Aang both displayed looks of shock.

"What have they done? What HAVEN'T they done! The Fire Nation has engaged the rest of the world in a pointless, self-serving war started by Fire Lord Sozin over a hundred years ago. Thousands of innocent people have been butchered by their hands over a self-entitled sense of leadership that they have the right to rule over everyone." Katara sneered angrily.

"This whole 'Unification' experiment of theirs started by the Fire Lord of two generations past was nothing more than a military front to ensure dictatorship over the entire world, there never was any attempt at joining the Nations together; all they wanted was to rule everyone with an iron fist!" The Inuit girl furiously exclaimed, obviously passionate about the aforementioned topic.

Aang stepped in front of Katara, ready to let his own opinion be known as well.

"The Unification Fire Lord Sozin sought was a mistake, the Four Nations cannot exist together with one another; they must remain separate." Aang claimed.

"Are you sure they cannot be brought together? Or do you say this only because previous Avatar's failed to accomplish such a feat in the past, Avatar Aang?" Naruto quipped.

"I say so due to the fact that I've come to learn since my disappearance one hundred years ago this world has been at war with the Fire Nation ever since; maybe Sozin originally DID want to unite the Four Nations, but whatever his goal was it has long since disappeared with the Fire Nation's current policies. I've seen what they're capable of doing Naruto, they decimate any of those who do not obey them, as well as murdering and enslaving those who would defy them without a second glance; they do not even try to look for peace!" Aang proclaimed loudly, Naruto's eyes widening in response.

"I've come to learn that my own people, the Air Nomads, were slaughtered by Sozin's command under the suspicion that the next Avatar would arise from their ranks; as many of the Avatars had done so before. My entire heritage was destroyed, and my people were the victims of genocide under the orders of an arrogant, corrupted old man who left my predecessor to die." The Avatar darkly stated, a concerned look from Katara noted itself in his direction, a soft hand being put gently on his shoulder.

Naruto's eyes remained folded, a look of skepticism and questioning hidden under his mask. The wheels in his head were turning, grasping the fact that if what the Avatar and Katara claimed were true; his Nation had indeed fallen from grace.

Dictatorship? Genocide? Such qualities were not of the Hi no Kuni he remembered, it had become apparent that much had changed. He remembered that Azula had promised to tell and show him the policies of the current Fire Nation, but if what Aang claimed was true he didn't want to see the rest.

If such tales of his Nation's corruption were indeed correct, changes needed to be made, serious changes. Enforcing loyalty through fear and tyrannical rule was all to similar to Uchiha Madara and Shimura Danzo, two men far too misled in their own beliefs that would let so many others suffer to attained what they desired.

If the current Fire Daimyo was at all like he was being described to be, he either needed to be dethroned or at least rethink his policies to perform a true Unification of the Four Nations, which would put an end to a war led by overt, blind patriotism and communistic propaganda.

"If what you claim is indeed true Avatar Aang, then perhaps the Fire Nation is not what I remember it to be; though I will not falter with my own belief that the Four Nations can be united as one. Through coexistence the world can achieve peace, but it must be done through respect and diligence, not tyranny and fear." Naruto spoke solemnly, earning a respectful glance from Aang.

"At least we can agree on that much…but what of Hahn? You may have to answer for injuring him so." Aang stated softly, a smirk hidden behind Naruto's mask.

"You honestly think I'd spend time captive awaiting my fate for crippling that moron? I believe my time here is coming to an end, I shall leave by nightfall." Naruto said sternly.

"Are you sure that's wise? Arnook could possibly judge you as an enemy to the Tribe." Katara retorted.

"Than I shall never return here afterwards, simple as that." The Sage half lied.

"Before our conversation ends, I must know something from you, Avatar Aang…you said you disappeared one hundred years ago, the exact point and time the war with the Fire Nation commenced. I have heard rumors that the Avatar, who arose, which factually speaking is you, is the one who many people view abandoned the world a long, long time ago. Are such claims true?" Naruto spoke adamantly, earning a discomforted, obviously hurt look from Aang.

Before Katara could open her mouth to defend her friend, Aang stepped forward softly on his own accord. "Yes, it's true. I was…am, the Avatar who fled from his destiny so long ago, as a result I wasn't present when the Fire Nation launched its campaign against the world a hundred years ago; I wasn't there to protect my fellows when they were butchered by Sozin's regime."

"But…despite how people might view me, as a coward or not, I will strive to protect this world despite how I failed to save it so long ago." Aang stated boldly, slightly surprising Naruto.

Naruto looked at the Avatar skeptically, before coming to a reasonable judgment on his own.

"Perhaps it's best that you weren't there to begin with Avatar; you most likely would've been slaughtered with your fellows, and then your Order would've been ultimately extinct." The Sage quipped, a look of hurt dissatisfaction quivering up Aang's face. That's not exactly the reassurance he would've wanted to hear from a stranger, but it would have to do.

"Though, if I may so Aang, what gave your Order the right to announce yourselves as the saviors of this world through each generation?" Naruto asked inquisitively, a look of surprise evident on Aang and Katara's face.

"What do you mean by that?" The Avatar replied curiously.

"Well I've often heard that the Avatars represented altruism and helping people for the sake of helping people throughout generation upon generation; until your disappearance mind you. What I can't figure out is why the Avatars exactly crowned themselves to be the Messiah of each time they arose from the ashes; that only they and they alone could save the world when they were beckoned to, and everyone one else was more or less useless. I don't know, it just seemed really self-entitled to me; something you claim the Fire Nation is currently, which would make you out to be just a tad bit hypocritical." Naruto smirked mockingly, hoping to usher a response from the current 'savior'.

"The Avatars stood, stand, for the good of the people in helping them in their times of crisis; we take it upon ourselves to be their sword and shield in times of chaos. None of my precursors in any way ever saw themselves as Gods; our role was to assist the people when either a tyrant or even they would threaten the natural balance of things." Aang retorted.

"I see…but you didn't exactly answer my question, Avatar. I just don't understand how one line of beings can be so important, that only they and they only have the power to change the world for the better and no one else can; as I said before, a sense of self-entitlement and hypocrisy is evident here." The Sage replied factually.

"The legacy of my Order never once stated that a person who wasn't an Avatar couldn't change the world; it just states that an Avatar is most likely to given our great control of the Four Elements…which is something I currently lack." Aang admitted regretfully, looking down at his own palms with a feeling of uselessness.

"And when you do master these Elements you believe necessary to defeat the Fire Lord, persay you accomplish your so-called destiny; what will you do what is necessary upon defeating that man?" Naruto questioned casually, earning a puzzled look from Aang.

"What do you mean?" The Avatar responded.

"Why killing him, of course. If what you say about the Fire Nation is true and that man is indeed a tyrant, I can only naturally assume that the populace of the other three Nations will want him dead to finally be granted a sense of peace through vengeance for the blood of their fallen." Naruto stated grimly, earning an intense stare from Aang.

The Avatar merely shook his head from side to side and gazed upon Naruto's figure with a look of dismay and perhaps regret. "I cannot bring myself to claim a person's life; my training as a Monk under my old teacher Gyasto taught me that it is not within my station to end someone's existence. Taking a life out of revenge is only reserved for the Gods, we as mortals must not tread into affairs beyond our own. Besides, killing someone just because they've done on harm to others is morally wrong and petty."

Naruto couldn't help but sneer at the boy's words, slightly put off by his naivety and innocence. "Sometimes we must do what is necessary for the future, regardless if it is within our station as mortals or not. Revenge can be justified under the right reasons; if the target truly is a monstrous person than their death not only benefits the ones who grieve, but all those who could be affected triumph as well."

"And even if you truly do defeat this Fire Lord as your destiny states you must, what if your own code of honor prohibits you from doing what is necessary to benefit the entire world? I can only imagine many, many people would call for his demise; and you, their savior, would deny them that privilege? Your morals about killing could endanger your own life as well Avatar, who's to say that the people you saved from Ozai's regime wouldn't come after you as well for denying them their pound of flesh?" Naruto questioned almost dangerously, a horrified look creeping up both Katara and Aang's face.

"T-they wouldn't do that! When Aang saves the world they'd have no right to hate him for sparing Ozai!" Katara exclaimed vividly.

The Sage smirked, all too well aware with such innocence. He believed in similar theories as well, but the people of his own past had proved him wrong multiple times. "Wouldn't they? Humans can be very vengeful, very hateful beings capable of wishing and often causing harm upon those would deny them what they want the most; who's to say that even their savior might suffer such wrath given if he spares the one they seek the destruction of?"

"If your claims about Ozai's campaign are indeed true, then I suspect he has taken the lives of many people that most consider precious. What of you, Katara? Considering how long this war has gone on, I can only assume that such violence you reached your own border as well? If so, I can only imagine that the Fire Lord has taken something from your or possibly your family as well?" The Child of Prophecy remarked.

Katara's eyes slanted with grim determination, admirable sadness and a sort of intense flare of hatred; it was obvious to Naruto that he had hit a nerve. The Inuit woman fought back the trail of tears that threatened to breach her eyes, as Aang attempted to comfort the angered girl by placing his hand on her shoulder.

"The Fire Nation took something precious to me a long time ago…that much is true." Katara rasped solemnly, granting Naruto's attention even further.

"Oh? And when you look into the eyes of the then defeated man who had taken something so meaningful to you, could you, or rather would you, forgive him? Would you be content with his imprisonment for the rest of your life, knowing the one who robbed you of what you cherished still lives?" The Sage asked almost sadly.

Katara's fists shook in a sense of audible anger and sadness, conflicting feelings of anger and judgment battling within her. "I…I don't know."

"See? Letting go of your hatred for the one who wrong you isn't as easy as it seems, is it? Keep that in mind when the time comes to decide Ozai's fate." Naruto stated in an almost emotionless sort of voice.

"We'll do what we must, regardless of our own personal temptations." Aang replied determinedly.

"Indeed, but I can only imagine a great many will give into their feeling rather than suppress them, Avatar." Naruto responded factually, starting to trek away from Aang in Katara as he spoke.

The Inuit girl was the first to walk after him, wanting to ask her own question towards the mysterious youth, with Aang following silently in tow. Naruto didn't make it five steps before a hand grabbed his cape, to which he turned around slightly to see the curious blue eyes of Katara greeting him.

"Why did you want to know about how we feel in our fight against the Fire Nation? It's obvious you don't share our feelings completely, but to a degree you seem to agree with us; why so curious?" Katara asked inquisitively, as Naruto pulled his cape out from her grip and chuckled lightly.

"It's always good to know other people's perspectives, even if you don't share them. Individuality is what makes us whole, despite of what conflicts it may bring. I have to disappear for a bit, but don't worry, we'll meet again." Naruto chucked grimly, disappearing in a shade of white smoke. Katara and Aang's outstretched hands attempted to grab the vanishing figure, but it was too late.

The duo looked around for any sign of the Sage's whereabouts, but they found none.

_What a strange man._

Katara's thoughts did remain in her own head completely, an azure eye meeting with hers from the darkness registered her thought pattern; knowing everything she knew. A fox-like smile hidden in the shadows, ever watching, ever waiting.  
_

*Seven Hours Later*

Princess Yue stood on a lonely bridge, her blue eyes reflecting against the moonlight. She couldn't help but ponder everything that had occurred in one day alone, and the man who more than had a role in the events that had followed.

She had been informed of Naruto's sudden disappearance personally by the Avatar and Sokka's sister, the only two people who were there to see the strange youth literally vanish into thin air; much to the disbelief of the nobles. Though she hadn't wished it a manhunt for the golden haired teen had ensued shortly after a brief meeting with the nobles of both her own house and Hahn's entourage; who both came to the decision despite his power and influence on the day's events Naruto needed to be brought to justice for crippling her fiancé.

Hahn himself whose wounds had finally been treated to, had nothing more than two stumps for hands after the Sage had dismembered them without hesitation. She had thought or had at least wished that Hahn would've learned some manner of humility of the brutal experience, but instead he had been off the rest of day shouting bloody murder about how Naruto would be executed for his overwhelming arrogance.

Yue couldn't help but feel it was Hahn's way of coping after losing his hands, but a sense of disappointment couldn't but be felt considering the Sage had done such a thing to each Hahn a lesson in respect; something he still apparently lacked.

The manhunt had been mainly unsuccessful, with absolutely no trace of Naruto to be found in any corner or cranny of the entire residence of her Tribe. It was as if he had truly vanished from existence completely, a shade that was never there to begin with.

A dark shadowy essence formed behind the Princess to her unknowingness, slowly taking form into the tall, masculine shape of the youth who had vanished.

"Yue-hime?"

Arnook's daughter jumped in surprise, nearly falling of the bridge before her hand was grabbed to maintain her balance. She stared up into the eyes of the man who had been impossible to locate, frightened but happy to see him again.

"Oh Naruto, you frightened me; you mustn't sneak up on me like that. Where have you been for the rest of the day? Ever since the…incident, between you and Hahn the nobles have been looking for you the entire day." Yue said as she regained her composure.

"I can only assume they want to punish me for cutting off Hahn's hands?" Naruto shrugged, earning an intensified stare from the Princess.

"But of course, many of the royals cried foul for what you did to Hahn. While I do feel that Hahn needed to at least gain some humility for his ego, I do feel you went too far." Yue murmured softly, her gaze taken away from Naruto's.

The Sage sighed heavily and looked over the bridge at the pale moon, its light reflecting in his blind viridian eye.

"The Avatar and Katara proclaimed the same thing, but as I told them I shall tell you; this way Hahn shall never strike another when their back is turned ever again." Naruto exclaimed.

"Perhaps…I'm just not use to such violence, that's all." Yue replied.

After a moment of silence, Naruto turned his head to Yue almost sadly. "I apologize if I frightened you with that act Yue-hime…it was not my intention to cause you distress."

She looked up at him and smiled brightly, his cheeks turning pink underneath his mask in response to her radiant gaze.

"No, I wasn't frightened, just deeply shocked, that was all. If anything, you only truly frightened me by vanishing for so long." Yue stated calmly, earning a curious look from the tall stranger.

"Truly? Have I won the Princess's favor already?" Naruto playfully mocked, earning an embarrassed chuckle from Yue.

"How could I have possibly thanked you for speaking to my father about my marriage to Hahn otherwise? If you left than I'd never get the chance to properly express my gratitude." Yue replied honestly.

Naruto smirked from behind his mask, and Yue turned her in embarrassment at her words; realizing what she had just said. What was to happen to her and Hahn was still a mystery, she shouldn't have expressed her happiness so freely in such an early, casual manner.

"So…the Princess does have her own voice after all, your slip of the tongue has revealed your obvious dissatisfaction with Hahn as a future husband." Naruto chuckled casually, as Yue rubbed her temples with her index finger nervously.

"I shouldn't speak out against my Lord Hahn so freely…regardless of his…character." Yue swallowed in almost frustrated tone, much to Naruto's delight.

"I don't even need to try to tell you don't like him very much Yue-hime, though any other reasonable woman would say the same thing about something like Hahn. If you truly do not care for him, make it known to your father, I'm sure he would be far more accepting now of your opinion considering he's putting thought into changing the marriage himself." Naruto quipped.

Yue sighed lightly, her folded arms returning to her side.

"Just because my father is thinking on your words doesn't mean that such thoughts will come true, he could pair me up with another man just like Hahn…" Yue murmured.

Naruto saw his chance to swoop in and took it, her choice of words being the perfect opportunity to reveal her true feelings. "Just like Hahn…how, exactly?"

Yue lightly clenched her palm into fists, shaking in aggravated irritation.

"Shortsighted, egotistical, chauvinistic, over-demanding, compensating, arrogant, ignorant, spineless, lazy coward." Yue spat almost venomously, covering her mouth soon after as Naruto chuckled in response.

"My my, such language from the Water Princess…I knew you had actual feelings that you had been holding in for so long Yue-hime, you just needed a push in the right direction." Naruto exclaimed proudly.

"I shouldn't have said such things…" Yue murmured.

"But it's what you feel isn't it? Why should you have to hide your feelings just because tradition says that you need soft-spoken and obedient? I proved two of this Tribe's traditions wrong in just one day, who says you can't be yourself as well?" Naruto questioned, Yue dropping her face lightly in a look of thought.

"I suppose you're right…maybe it is time for me to change." The Princes states softly, looking back at Naruto closely, realizing that his mask still bore the large crack made by her fiancé's blade.

"Did…did Hahn's attempt to attack you injure you Naruto? I'd hate to be partially responsible for you being injured." Yue declared, caressing Naruto's opaque white mask gently as if it were his face. A contented sigh escaped his lips, her clarity reminded him much of Hyuga Hinata; a woman he had come to deeply miss.

Clasping her hands gently, the Princess let out a soft gasp of surprise, her azure eyes meeting Naruto's functioning and disabled ones. They looked at each other for a moment of understanding, before Naruto himself decided to break the ice.

"Yue-hime…I cannot stay here amongst this Tribe anymore." Naruto said sadly, a surprised looking rapidly creeping across Yue's face.

"What? Why? If it's because of the incident with Hahn I can appeal to my father that-"

A finger pressed itself slowly to her lips, silencing her voice.

"While that may partially be a reason I can no longer stay here, that is not the true reason. I'm sorry, but I cannot disclose the actual reason to you, my Hime." Naruto remarked solemnly, Yue's gaze turning towards a focused confusion.

"Why not? You can trust me Naruto; I won't judge you for whatever secret you carry." Yue replied honestly, a grim chuckle escaping the Sage's lips.

"If I only I could believe that completely, part of me really wants to, but the other half of me is still doubtful. I'm sorry Yue-hime, but I can't tell you the real reason for why I have to leave…at least not yet. But there is something I can give you before I go." The peculiar youth remarked, pulling out a tri-pronged kunai from his pocket and placing it calmly in Yue's outstretched palm.

"Keep this by your side Yue-hime, and throw it when I you utterly, truly need me. I won't be able to come to you as often as I'd like, so only use it in an absolute emergency and I will arrive then on cue." Naruto stated confidently.

"I don't understand, how is a dagger supposed to have you reach me by just throwing it?" Yue asked curiously.

"All will be revealed in due time, just know that when you do use it, given whatever situation becomes I will protect regardless of any possible danger I may face." Naruto answered assertively, showing an unseen yet comforting protective side Yue had yet to truly experience with any other man.

"Whatever the situation becomes? Naruto, what's going on?" The Princess asked worriedly.

His face paling behind his already white mask, Naruto turned from the gaze of the Princess, not wanting to share eye contact with her any longer.

"N-Naruto, wait…before you go, can I ask you a favor?" Yue asked softly.

"And what would that be? I will do my best to accommodate you, Hime." The masked man replied.

The white haired beauty stepped in front of her tall friend, looking at his eyes behind the mask that hid his identity.

"If you are comfortable enough with me…may I…see your face, before you go?" Yue questioned almost painfully politely, as Naruto flinched behind his protective barrier. Her words were so like Hinata's before her, how could he possibly say no?

"…Very well, if that is your wish." The Sage answered.

Naruto clasped his cracked opaque mask ever so slowly, closing his eyes as he did so. A small sigh escaped his lips; the contained feeling that had consumed his face for so long began to rapidly disappear. Yue's continued to widen in curiosity as Naruto's identity was revealed inch by inch, eventually revealing its true self.

The eyes of the Princess widened not in disgust, but in a sort of astonishment. She blushed ever so slightly, her feminine side almost immediately seeing Naruto's true face as quite handsome in comparison to the men of her own Tribe. She was at first slightly disturbed by the rather painful looking gash that bore itself down across the right side of his face, which obviously was a mark from some past great battle that had taken his sight in the aforementioned eye.

His azure eye seemed to shine even more without his mask than it did with it on, a perfect reflection of the endless sea. She couldn't help but notice the peculiar whiskers that shot out from his cheekbones, bearing a peculiar resemblance to an arctic fox.

For some reason however, Yue couldn't help but look upon with a sense of sadness; the look on his face showed kindness, respect and dignity to it, but there was a certain notion of fatigue behind it. To the casual observer one might've not have seen such emotions, but it seemed far too obvious to her.

The hidden feelings behind his face she had grown accustomed to seeing on the Tribe's war veterans who had seen their fair share of battle, which had often scarred them to be sad, worn-out old men.

To her Naruto didn't exactly seem exhausted, but a sense of tiredness certainly was evident in his face. How long had he been fighting? To her own knowledge Naruto was only a few years older than her, yet he had the look upon him that he had seen enough violence to last a lifetime.

She raised her hand over so slowly to Naruto's face, to which he flinched in surprise at first, causing her as well to recoil slightly in response. He eased up almost instantly though, showing a sense of comfort that he trusted her enough to show such familiarity.

Yue's silky soft fingers trailed across the rugged scar that shaped its way into the right side of Naruto's face, the Sage could feel her touch even if just barely due to the dead tissue; but with it range a sense of nostalgia from his time with Hinata. He closed his blind eye calmly as her fingers stroked down his face elegantly, reveling in her soothing touch.

Naruto's own hand had arisen to touch Yue's cheek, to which she stiffened at first, but nearly immediately began to allow. As Naruto's fingers brushed across her own face, her blush intensified to a clearly visible level. The Sage grinned softly as he felt her cheeks heat up, his own smile caused her to melt ever so slightly upon seeing his true, jubilant face.

As their faces neared each other's inch by inch, the duo was unaware that they were being watched. A hidden face amongst the pillars eyed them carefully, but was currently too stunned to make a move. He feared something like this would happen, that Naruto would claim Yue's heart first; and now he was in a too awkward position to even do something.

What would he do now? Randomly burst out of seclusion and interrupt what was obviously going to be an intimate moment? No, he was better than that; even if he didn't want to admit it.

When Naruto and Yue's noses both practically touched, a silence over took them both as they stopped for just a moment. Their eyes locked as they looked into each other's very being, an intimacy usually only shared between lovers. As Naruto began to pull away ever so slightly out of doubt, Yue suddenly clasped his face and pulled him into a soft yet passionate kiss.

To say the Sage was surprised was an understatement, he knew he had managed to teach Yue about expressing her opinions more openly but he had never dared to think she'd be so…bold, with her feelings. He could hear Kurama laughing his ass off in the back of his head, no doubt the Kitsune would wish to antagonize him later about what was currently occurring, but he'd worry about that later.

As their lips molded together elegantly, the looming shadow who watched them from afar couldn't help but curse his ill fortune. He didn't want to interrupt the two who were obviously having a moment, but it pained him to see Yue in Naruto's embrace. Sokka wanted to know what that felt like for himself, but now it looked like he'd never get the chance too.

When the mysterious stranger and the Water Princess's lips had finally parted for air, they looked into each other's eyes for a moment of clarity. It was obvious that they had shared intimacy with one other, they were just reconfirming through their eyes.

"That was…" Yue stuttered as she tried to catch her breath.

Naruto chuckled lightly at Yue's obvious enjoyment of their embrace, looking into sapphire eyes intently. "…Nice? I hope that was the word you were planning on using Yue-hime; I'd hate to disappoint you."

Backing away from the Princess slowly, the Sage gazed at Yue with a grim smile; making it all too apparent that now was that time he spoke of.

"We'll meet again, Yue-hime…that much I can assure you of. When you truly need me, throw that kunai and no matter what the situation, I will protect you." Naruto practically whispered, his visage literally starting to fade away into a spiraling nothing.

Yue held out her hand as if to stop him, wanting to know the full truth of what was to come. She would find no answers however, as Naruto's figure disappeared without a trace from her sight. A small clanking sound rattled against the bridge she stood on, looking down she had noticed the only thing the youth left behind was his opaque mask; which upon hitting the ground shattered into two separate pieces from the damage it had already received from Hahn's last ditch attack.

Looking at the dagger with a sense of saddened confusion, the Princess Held it tightly to her chest, looking over the bridge at the endless sea that seemed to stretch on forever. He said he would protect her when the time came no matter the situation, but he was not clear on what he would protect her from precisely.

Who was it who would threaten her? Someone? Something? And did this invisible force have the potential to endanger more than her, a possible threat to her entire Tribe?

She dreaded such a possibility, but she did not rule it out as an impossibility. Yue did not know what Naruto had sworn to protect her from, but he had promised to keep his word regardless. All she could do now have faith that the peculiar but enticing man would live up to his vow; there was nothing left for her to do but simply believe.

Sokka on the other hand was more perplexed than hopeful, still wondering how the mysterious youth managed to quite literally vanish in the first place; he didn't know of any Bending that could do that. More importantly, what had Yue and Naruto been discussing? Sokka had just barely managed to overhear the blonde say that he would protect Yue no matter what would occur in the future, but other than that he had heard little else.

Why did Naruto give her some kind of weird looking dagger? What did he mean by he'd protect her no matter what was to occur? He obviously had to have known about an oncoming danger towards Yue or possibly the whole Tribe, but what was it? Why did he sound so sad, almost regretful even?

Sokka didn't know, he could only shake his head in disbelief, trying to ease the burden of so many questions daunting his mind. He would discuss what he had witnessed with Aang and his sister tomorrow, and possibly approach Yue herself about it if she was willing to converse. All Sokka had convinced himself of was that he needed to only rest for now, but he truly doubted that sleep would erase the mental image of Naruto and Yue's lips molding together.

Sighing in weariness, confusion and disappointment; Sokka could only groggily trod off towards his quarters to lay his head down once more, leaving Yue alone and unwatched to stare out at the endless sea.  
_

*Zhao's Vessel, Azula's Quarters*

A black spiraling vortex suddenly engulfed the right corner of Azula's room, startling the three women present who had just begun to drift off to sleep.

Emerging from the dark shroud without anything to cover his face, Naruto's facial features displayed a sense of commitment, hurt, and to a point, disappointment. Ty Lee was quick to jump out of the bed and welcome her returned friends with a compassionate hug, and an almost instant barrage of questions relating to his mission.

Mai and Azula couldn't help but roll their eyes and chuckle at the pink pajama girl, her enthusiastic tendencies truly knowing no bounds. Greeting his uppity friend commonly with the promise of answering all of her inquiries later, Naruto walked over to the end of Azula's bed with a rather stern expression on his face.

"Your mission went well, I assume?" Azula inquired almost lazily.

"A little too well, actually. I've observed everything I needed to know about the Tribe's defenses; military outposts, vantage standpoints, flanking positions, as well who is and who isn't truly combat ready. The civilian populace I've managed down to a central area, as long as you inform Zhao about our strategic maneuvers as promised I will participate in this battle as long as I am not party to a bloodbath." Naruto responded curtly, a devilish grin spreading across Azula's face.

"Excellent, most excellent. I must commend you for a job well done once more Naruto; you truly are quite capable; then again I never truly contemplated that you would fail considering your powers. We are ready to launch the invasion tomorrow, I presume?" Azula asked.

Crossing his arms diligently, the somewhat reserved Sage nodded in agreement. "We are indeed, I take it we, or rather you, shall convey to Zhao what area's are off limits to this fleet's firepower as of tomorrow morning?"

"But of course, it is rather late in the night and I have grown weary of this day out of sheer boredom. I can't imagine he'll be pleased of the possible censorship of what he had originally planned but he won't question my orders, I'd be the second to last person he'd ever think of defying. A shame that this is the only way you'll participate in this battle, I expected your tendencies from your past to make you a bit more…carnal." Azula somewhat ruggedly added, earning a soft glare from Naruto.

"There is a time and place for slaughter, and the place you intend on attacking fits neither requirement of absolute decimation. There is another matter at hand as well, Azula-hime; something of grave importance." The Sage muttered as his face darkened, a deadly serious look creeping across his face.

Her golden eyes narrowing slightly, Azula had come to expect the worst. "Truly? Is the Avatar aware of our oncoming siege? For that matter, is he even present at the Tribe?"

"He is indeed there as Zhao's intelligence had come to predict, but he is of no concern to me at this point, his innocence and naivety destroy whatever threat he could truly pose to you or I; he is as unaware of this attack as much as anyone else from the Tribe is." Naruto replied almost monotonely.

"Than what is the cause of your disturbance then?" The Fire Princess questioned.

Sighing heavily, the golden haired youth grabbed Azula's hand in a surprising notion, lifting her from her bed almost too easily. "I hate to ask you to leave your quarters this late at night Azula-hime but please understand this situation is much more of a private matter than I'd like, we need to talk about what I've learned…alone."

Before a certain acrobat could make any childish, teasing remarks she was quickly silenced via a pillow to the face rather assertively by Mai. Naruto couldn't help but shake his head and silently thanked the dark girl for thinking quick on her feet, to which Mai nodded in understanding as if saying 'you're welcome.'

Letting go of Azula's hand, the Princess and the Sage treaded down the looping hallways to find a secluded place where they could begin their conversation in peace. After a few minutes passed of opening up every available door to see whether or not said room was occupied, a vacant space finally revealed itself to be some kind of half-full storage closet. It wasn't too crowded and there was at least some space to maneuver; it'd have to do for now.

The duo entered the rather compact room and each one took a seat on the nearest box they could find to support themselves. Both had the very small fear that what they were cushioning themselves on could most likely collapse on itself due to their respective weight, but the containers did seem to hold at least some cargo so balance wasn't an issue here.

Looking deep into the man's eyes, Azula couldn't help but feel troubled; there was obviously something on his mind that disturbed him, something that possibly infuriated him somewhat. A look of disappointment, confusion and the mildest hint of anger adorned his face.

Twiddling her thumbs lightly, she decided to break the ice. "What is it you wish to talk about that is so important we'd have to discuss it in private like this? I do not exactly care for being dragged in a storage room for a chat; I can assure of that much at least."

The Sage was silent for a moment, contemplating his words carefully. He knew the very topic could cause controversy amongst any inhabitant of the current Hi no Kuni, even more so with royals themselves. But it had to be addressed, whether he liked it or not.

"You have some explaining to do, Azula-hime."

**DUN DUN DUN!**

**Gentlemen…behold!**

**MY FIRST REAL CLIFFHANGER!**

**MWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!**

***Snaps back to reality***

**Okay, enough Doctor Weird shtick, time to address what you guys are in for next**.

**Chapters VI and VII are more or less going to be The Siege Part 1 & Part 2 like they were in the actual show.**

**A lot of people complained that Naruto followed Azula far too blindly, and I've already explained why he did so in the earlier Author's Note I put in the beginning of every Chapter.**

**Now that he's learned that things might not be as simple as he was originally told, you guys better be damn well sure that he has some questions for Azula. Plus, since he could read minds by through direct eye contact; he knows the Gaang is either telling the truth or truly believing what they say about the Fire Nation in terms of how it's corrupted, something that's given him pause.**

**To be frank, the conversation with Naruto and Azula is eventually going to lead to an argument where the Sage is more or less going to layeth a verbal smack down on Azula; something she has quite literally NEVER experienced in her entire life up to his point. No one in her entire life has once challenged her out of either fearing her directly or fearing the repercussions of defying a member of Ozai's family.**

**I just want to make it PERFECLY CLEAR that Naruto's intentions aren't as black and white as either Aang's or Ozai's idealism when it comes to the world itself. He doesn't believe that constantly protecting people too weak to help themselves makes you a 'Messiah'; he would rather teach them to be strong himself so they can adequately defend themselves in the future rather than constantly relying on someone to 'save' them**.

**Naruto also believes that no one person, no matter how powerful or important, has the right to make the world what he/she wants on his/her own. Shaping the future has to come from the people and leaders of the world themselves working together rather than relying on one specific person to 'solve' everything on his/her own, this is what he believes.**

**He's against the populace of the world that believes that they just have to sit back and watch the Avatar kill himself to save the world while they do nothing, and he's against Aang's method himself that not only is he this self-entitled/proclaimed savior of an order dedicated to such a philosophy; but also due to the fact that he thinks no person should have shelter all the world's burdens on his/her shoulders. In short, he is strictly against sloth complacency and self-entitled altruism.**

**This does not mean he is 'evil' however despite how many people would view him as 'corrupt' or 'cruel'; in his own mind he's just being factual despite what hardships it may imply.**

**As for anyone who would state he himself is being hypocritical since he was labeled as "The Child of Prophecy" and the supposed proclaimed savior of the world similar to how Aang is, keep in mind he doesn't ACTUALLY think of himself in such a way. **

**Yes, he originally believed that it was his duty to shelter the burdens of the world similar to how Aang wants to; but the destruction of the world and emotional trauma he faced before and afterwards has led him to believe no one can truly solve all the words problems on their own, it has to be a joint effort between friends and allies to experience and bear the suffering Earth has to offer to truly overcome it. **

**In short, Naruto thinks that the problems the world faces at any time (whether it be in the past or future) need to confronted by a group of strong people rather than just thinking one singular being can shoulder it all out of altruism while everyone sits by complacently.**

**In a way, he both failed and succeeded to stop Madara Uchiha from completing his Eye of the Moon Plan; further details on WHAT exactly happened will be revealed in Chapter VIII when he'll finally get the chance to activate the Gedo Rinne Tensei Technique and resurrect the eight women who were SUPPOSED to marry him.**

**So yes, tension is definitely going to run on high for the next two Chapters between the internal affairs of Naruto Versus Current Hi no Kuni Policies, Naruto Versus The Common People's Philosophy & Naruto's Philosophy Versus Aang's Philosophy.**

**Also, a bridge is going to be crossed with the Sage Mode and Rinnegan in the next Chapter specifically; I won't reveal what that is yet, but let's just say it'll most likely involve being able to utilize Sage Mode and the Paths at the same time.**

**As if it wasn't obvious, Naruto is also going to have an official meeting with Paths in the following Chapter as well to discuss where they all are now and how to deal with the current events of the world.**

**I won't spoil too much else, so you're all just going to have to wait to see what happens next.**

**Given the content I'm to be writing, I'd say this going to take me roughly at least a week and a half; so any loyal reviewers still keeping up with this story, stay gold.**

**Sincerely,**  
**-TheArkOfAwesome.**


	6. Chapter 6: Preparations Added Note

**Dear God almighty, did I receive A LOT of butthurt for this Chapter. A few people claim I've flat out ruined the story, others don't want to read it anymore, some people are calling me a terrible Author, etc.**

**Alright…in an attempt to at least calm some people the hell down in the wait for the next Chapter, I'm stepping in to take the brunt of the backlash myself.**

**For starters, I'm gonna address a lot of the main issues that everyone talked about in the last Chapter.**

**One, Yagura is from Kirigakure, not Iwagakure. Alright, that was my bad; I don't know why I thought he was from Iwa, so this is totally my fault here for not checking my facts. I'm actually planning to take down Chapter 6 and revise it to make sure any references relating Iwa to Yagura are replaced with Kirigakure instead.**

**Two, why is Naruto taking this blackmail bullshit from Azula? Shouldn't he be strong enough to crush the entire fleet and just gallivant away?**

**First off, showing weakness isn't being a 'bitch' or a 'pussy' as some people have claimed. Azula said that if Naruto didn't enter the fray upon finding out what the Fire Nation's policies really are that she wouldn't argue their agreement and slaughter the whole village; civilian populace and all.**

**Let me state now that Naruto doesn't want to be responsible for more or less the complete butchery of these people. Hence why he's fighting this battle on arranged terms. Some people have also argued if he's so against what he knows what the Fire Nation represents, why doesn't he side with the Avatar's group? Simple, he doesn't agree with their philosophy; he sympathizes with the people who have suffered in the war to be true, but he doesn't necessarily think following Aang's naiveté visions on reality will benefit the world.**

**Straightforwardly put, Aang had the moral standpoints of a pacifistic child; Naruto doesn't think his views represent cruel reality. The Fire Nation wants to dominate the world through the influence of fear and tyranny, Naruto doesn't agree with that either. Basically Naruto doesn't know what side he wants to be on now, not that I blame him.**

**The reason he didn't just kill Azula is because doing so (sinking the entire fleet, killing the Princess of the Fire Nation, etc) would gain the Water Nation near unbridled animosity from the Fire Nation. Ozai doesn't know of Naruto's existence yet, so he would assume the attack was from the Water Tribe and forward his offensive ever more towards the common people of the Water Tribe; something Naruto didn't want to be responsible for.**

**Showing restraint isn't weakness fellas, it's actually more of strength.**

**A lot of people also had beef with the OC Villain/Original Plotline involving Azrael/Mephistopheles. Alright, as I said before, I had this planned from the very beginning; it wasn't just some bullshit I through in randomly in an attempt to be creative. I can see where it would be off-putting, but I don't see it as a true story killer. Maybe some people do, but I don't; and if there are people who don't want to read the story anymore because of this, then they can do what they want.**

**Also, it turns out I got Azrael's name wrong in my own definition; the Angel of Death I'm actually supposed to be referring to is Abbadon; so once more, my bad. Really need to brush up on some of these religious facts I swear…**

**Multiple people have PMed me about this new site that allows MA Ratings/Lemons etc; let me just at this point in the story I haven't censored anything yet so there are no lemons yet obviously. And since every time I tried to post the name of the website I thought to post eventual uncensored material on is now invalid, the name of the new site is simply your ff dot com. Hopefully that bit isn't censored, if it is, I'm just gonna put it on my profile were to go. And when the uncensored material does eventually surface, I'll obviously give everyone a heads up on it.**

**Chapter VII will be here in three in three and a half weeks, where I also PROMISE these things.**

**1) Not as much of a heavy reliance on dialogue. (It's exhausting for you and it's exhausting for me; no more I say!)**

**2) If Faust does show up again, his speech will be in parenthesis alone; it'll be implied he's speaking Japanese but there won't be an entire tirade of Japanese to read. I also intend on erasing all of the Japanese parts of Faust's dialogue from Chapter 6 when I repost it and only leave what he's saying in English.**

**I hope this calms everyone down a bit to the point where everyone's guns aren't pointed at me.**

**Until then guys, just be patient with me and try not to blow my head off.**

**And if this doesn't put a lot of fears to rest and people still wanna kill me, then I've done all I can do to calm them and that's their deal.**

**-TheArkOfAwesome.**

***Key***  
**"Kyuubi Talking"**  
_**Kyuubi Thinking  
**_**Faust Talking (No quotation marks means it's Faust.) **_**  
**__Thinking  
_"Talking"

***Japanese Key*  
**Hebi=Snake.  
Gama=Toad.  
Teme=Bastard.  
Hime=Princess.  
Shinobi no Kami=God of Shinobi.  
Daimyo=Feudal Lord.  
Godaime Kazekage=Fifth Kazekage.  
Sandaime Hokage=Third Hokage.  
Yondaime Mizukage=Fourth Mizukage.  
Yondaime Raikage=Fourth Raikage.  
Hi no Ishi=Will of Fire.  
Kirigakure=Village Hidden by Mist.  
Konohagakure=Village Hidden in the Leaves.  
Sunagakure=Village Hidden by Sand.  
Kumogakure-Village Hidden by Clouds.  
Iwagakure=Village Hidden by Rocks.  
Takigakure=Village Hidden by a Waterfall.  
Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Shinjitsu no Pasu=Summoning Jutsu: Paths of Truth.  
_**_**

*Zhao's Vessel*

Golden eyes met azure and viridian once more, a deadlock stare between their retinas was at hand. It was obvious there was tension in the rather compact room, a sort of claustrophobic sense had begun to enrapture the two. The Sage and the Princess waited for one another to make the first move, a physical game of psychological chess clearly at hand.

Azula hadn't said much after Naruto told her she had explaining to do, quite evidently looking for the correct response to reply with. She didn't want to offend her newly gained ally in any way, but she knew she had to say something eventually.

"What do you mean I have explaining to do? It's hardly within my station to explain my motives to anyone." Azula replied haughtily, Naruto's stare slanting ever more so.

"Perhaps, but your political station can only shield you from so much Azula-hime; everyone has to answer for their actions eventually, regardless of who they are whether they be a civilian or a royal. I have learned a great many things from my travel to the Northern Water Tribe, both of good and ill repute on my homeland's part."

"As I mentioned previously, I have successfully spied on their Tribe and located where the militant outposts lie; to which will be our prime targets while civilian installations shall be avoided at all costs, per our agreement for you to personally inform Zhao of. However, I have learned a great many things as well that personally disturb me, most of which being supplied evidence that contradicts your earlier statements that the other Nations were truly the 'enemies'."

"I have been told by many residents of the Northern Water Tribe, as well as the Avatar and his company as well that the Fire Nation is responsible for a great many atrocities; many of which border on heinous war crimes such as oppressive dictatorship, the democratization of fear, and borderline genocide at best. Such claims cannot be so easily dismissed, not even by you, Azula-hime." Naruto darkly stated a sort of frustrated almost hateful look evident in his eyes.

He didn't feel the necessary anger to truly hate Azula, but if the supposed actions of his Nation were indeed true, and Azula herself was around for at least part of it while standing idly by; then she herself was partly responsible for such suffering as well.

The Fire Princess sighed heavily, a haggard breathe for air quickly being taken afterwards. Attempting to swallow her pride that usually allowed her to strike out at those who showed insubordination towards her or her Nation, she looked at the boy with all the calmness she could muster.

"In truth Naruto, my great grandfather Fire Lord Sozin did indeed order the absolute destruction of the Air Nomads under the notion that the next Avatar would rise with them, it was only through their utter annihilation that the Unification of the Fire Nation could TRULY begin. I have told what the Avatar Order stood for, and how their philosophical morals, self-entitlement and senseless altruism ultimately endangers the very principals of this world."

"To ensure that the Unification was successful, Sozin's son and my grandfather Fire Lord Azulon carried out my great grandfather's wishes to carry out his vision. As you can expect, the other Nations believed in the words of the Avatar's that the Unification of the Four was a mistake that should not be garnered upon; and thus, they rebelled just as strongly as they did when they learned of the destruction of the Air Nomads. Azulon carried out Sozin's regime to forcibly unite the world under the fact that they would not even attempt to see the folly of Avatar Roku's machinations."

"Our Nation truly did attempt to peacefully unite the Nations at first, we really did, but they just wouldn't listen. Back then all anyone ever cared about was the words of the Avatar and the Avatar's before him, and even one hundred years of fighting later while many have lost their face in the order of those self-entitled saviors, more still continue to fight against us in the name of righteousness and freedom." Azula finished almost exhaustedly after a long-winded explanation, hoping that at least some of her words had reached Naruto's sanity.

Tapping his chin for a moment in thought, the youth looked up at her, and shook his head sadly. A depressed and infuriated look adorned his face, evidently saddened by the explanation. "So…you do not deny of the claims that the people of the Northern Water Tribe or the Avatar and his company themselves have presented me with? This would irrefutably point to their claims being truthful in the fact that my homeland, Hi no Kuni, the current Land of Fire, had indeed become a corrupt, tyrannical land."

A rather shocked look crept Azula's face, realizing her mistake a bit too late. While she had attempted to justify her Nation's reasons for such actions, she hadn't exactly denied them.

"But.." Azula tried to speak, only to have Naruto's hand raised in retaliation.

"This would mean that everything you told me my homeland currently stands for, which the exact principals in stood for in the past; is nothing more than a fabrication and the current Hi no Kuni is actually what I was fighting against in the first place thousands of years ago? Tyranny, genocide, destruction…all things wrought by cowards and dictators, and my own Nation had become the very symbol of everything I hate!" Naruto exclaimed angrily, to which Azula herself entered a much more defensive position.

"I've told you why our Nation has done such things; we did not employ such policies out of the sake of tyranny itself, but for the sake of peace. The other Nations would not listen to Sozin's plea; they were too instilled by the words of Roku to listen properly." The Fire Princess proclaimed as she tried to defend her cause, to which Naruto would have none of.

"Ah yes, the sake of 'peace', I've heard such claims from many a man and woman in my own time beforehand…and all such claims were only excuses to instill to violence and fear; which my Nation has employed to in a majority once again. Even if the Avatar Order was dedicated to such morals that threatened to engulf the world in self-servitude to them, the absolute destruction of their people was not necessary. Genocide does nothing but breed hatred and inspire vengeance, which many people are often consumed by to commit even graver atrocities." Naruto spoke gravely, reminded of a long passed friend who had been too far gone for him to save.

It would seem to be Avatar Aang as the exact opposite of Uchiha Sasuke; his family had been destroyed but he did not seek vengeance for their deaths, he sought peace instead. In truth while many of Aang's claims in themselves could not be validated by the harsh reality of war, they seemed no less self-destructive than Sasuke's vendetta against Konoha for the genocide of the Uchiha's.

Rubbing his temples in an infuriated manner, Naruto could only look at Azula with disbelief with the slightest hint of disappointment. "These aren't things a land, Kingdom or Nation can make excuses for; while the end sometimes does justify the means, this isn't one of those things that can be looked at with such a black and white perspective. In my own time I specifically fought three men in particular who wished to damn the world with their own personal agendas, all their ways were different, but none of them were any less dangerous than the other. Shimura Danzo, Uchiha Madara, and Hebi Sannin Orochimaru…all deranged men who thought their own agenda's gave them free reign over anyone else they deemed insignificant."

"And from the look of it, your father wants to do the same exact thing; he just blindly followed his grandfather's wish just as his actual father did before him. You can't just force people to follow you no matter how good or bad your idea is, life doesn't work that way; there has to be a mutual understanding between all parties involved."

" I'm all for trying to unite people under a single banner, but if they don't specifically WANT to be united then I wouldn't try to force them into it. Plus, it sounds like Fire Daimyo Sozin went about this in the wrong way; if he was really trying to achieve Unification he should've tried to accomplish through a peaceful, respectful process rather than just deciding he could force everyone under his regime." Naruto stated determinedly, desperately trying to get through to Azula.

The Fire Princess couldn't help but sneer at Naruto, somewhat disgusted with his lack of spine. "You of all people should know that life is full of hard choices, sometimes evils must be undertaken to ensure the greater good triumphs. That is the natural selection of things, it's always been this way."

"It's not natural if such ways of thinking is forced upon others, the philosophy of the weak dying and strong surviving is bullshit. Natural selection within itself is just an excuse for justifying crimes that will never see justice within themselves. I've sensed pride, strength and honor deep within you Azula-hime; do not let yourself be warped by my homeland's now warped over patriotism." The Sage adamantly declared.

Ozai's daughter merely glared at the golden-haired boy in response, in remembrance of behavior similar to his. "Funny, when I first freed you that Spirit said that you had accomplished a many great things and you would do what was necessary to achieve peace; now I'm beginning to doubt those words. Your hesitance to do what needs to do be done reminds me of my foolish brother, perhaps you and Zuzu can talk about how peace and democracy can obviously solve all the world's problems."

"I never said everything could be solved peacefully, but all-out war against anyone who disagrees with your regime isn't in the least bit logical itself. There's a time for violence and there's a time for peace, and I fear your great-grandfather has already planted the seeds in this world's hearts that shall stem xenophobia, hatred and vengeance; all things that blind anyone of common sense." Minato's son rebutted, ensuing a rather haughty laugh from Azula.

"Regardless whether or not the Fire Nation is or isn't in the right of the current scenario involving the four other Nations, you are obligated to obey me and serve your homeland once more. You said yourself you both failed and succeeded to protect it, and this was your chance to redeem yourself for said failure; would you really forsake your homeland and shirk your sense of duty due to petty moral concerns from a populace who would deny the world Unification?" Azula said arrogantly, a concerned glare emitting from Naruto's eyes.

The Sage cupped his chin and closed his eyes solemnly, thinking for a moment on Azula's words. Doubt spread through his mind somewhat quickly, but he knew he couldn't be deterred; no matter what this new life of his threw at him. For a small moment, it seemed he would remain silent, prompting a small smirk from the Princess

Sighing heavily and clenching his right fist, he looked up at Azula with an adamant sense of determination. "Yes, yes I would."

"What? You cannot be serious!" Azula protested almost violently.

"Who says I can't be? My honor as both a Konoha Nin and as a warrior to the true Hi no Kuni dictates that if I entered such a battle under the servitude of the Princess who openly knows that her own father, the current Daimyo; employs such tyranny on those who disagree with him, is shameful within itself. It dishonors the Hi no Ishi, the Will of Fire, set forth by Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage; the first leader I came to know in my life under servitude to Konohagakure."

"He set the standard for me for what I know to be honor, integrity and service to my homeland; he told me that as a Konoha Nin, I should always protect my loved ones and serve Hi no Kuni to the best of my ability. However, he specifically mentioned not to follow the one who leads the country blindly, and always remember what our homeland stood for. I may have known Hiruzen when he was elderly, but his heart burned with the soul of a warrior more fiercely than nearly any combatant I've come to know." Naruto said with a sense of pride in his voice, remembering the fond times he had with the old Hokage of the Leaf.

Shrugging almost apathetically, the Princess gazed at Naruto nonchalantly. "You're honestly telling me that your honor and sense of morality as a warrior, granted to you by some old man who played a part in your life literally thousands of years ago is the reason you won't compete in this battle? How pathetically droll."

Almost instantly, a hand was on Azula's neck, forcibly lifting her high in the air as its grip threatened to snap her lick a twig. She had no choice but to cough and gasp for air, Naruto's immense physical strength threatening to choke the life out of her.

"W-W-Wh-at are y-you doing!" Azula spat while Naruto's adamant hand sapped the life out of her.

"NO ONE, I repeat, NO ONE, will EVER disrespect Sarutobi Hiruzen in my presence! He was my father figure growing up, even more so than my own father! He was one of the greatest men I've ever known or ever shall know, and you will NOT spit on his memory!" Naruto practically growled, his good eye threatening to turn into a feral slit.

"Y-y-you would assault the P-Princess of your own N-Nation! Have you gone absolutely mad!" Azula choked out.

"No, not mad, just determined to preserve what I know as precious to me. You have not denied any of the grim atrocities of my homeland to be false, in fact you've more-or-less confirmed them without any disdain of such actions in your voice. Hell, you've been AROUND for at least some of these morbid deeds and you've no made attempt to even disapprove of your father's actions; who are clearly reminiscent of Shimura Danzo's or even Uchiha Madara's."

"With that in my mind, I see this physical affront as completely justified; whether you have a part to play in ruling this Nation are not. You are a greater warrior than you realize, you just have yet to find the true honor my teachers from my past imparted me with; someday, I hope you realize that." Naruto said with a rather simple tone to his voice.

"Y-you do realize that if you d-don't partake in the b-battle there is literally n-nothing from me not telling Zhao which area's to and not to bombard? Which in itself m-means if y-you retire from this b-bout than even m-more people could d-die on your behalf?" Azula rasped almost evilly.

Naruto's face darkened considerably, his eye threatening to turn red. "You…you wouldn't DARE…"

"…Oh but I would, if our alliance ends than so does the t-terms for this b-battle…are you sure your h-honor will let you l-live with what you w-wrought upon these people l-live?" Azula hissed haughtily.

A more than frustrated look adorned Naruto's face, one filled with infuriation and indecision. After a moment or two he released his grip on Azula, and decidedly punched the side of the nearby wall in frustration; causing a sizeable dent in it and a frightened yelp on the other side, something that amused Azula.

"…Fine, I'll help you for now, but ONLY to ensure that this battle is not a complete bloodbath. I will strike down those who assail me, but I will not turn my hand against those who cannot defend themselves; and as long as I'm around, neither shall your men." Naruto practically snarled.

Azula, regaining her composure through violent coughing, looked up at Naruto with a grim smirk of victory upon her face. "Good, we have an understanding then. I'll report to Zhao on your findings in the morning, I trust you have forms on where the military outposts are?"

Naruto growled angrily and performed a few hand signs, summoning a scroll that detailed all of what he had learned in his time at the Northern Water Tribe. Clasping it from the youth's hand arrogantly, Azula's smile widened further.

"Good, very good…I'm sure this will give us all we need to know on how to secure a quick victory against these petty rabble." Azula chuckled, to learning the infuriate blonde behind.

"Oh, and Naruto…?" The Princess carried on.

"Yes?" The Sage replied.

Two fingers placed themselves dangerously close to his neck very suddenly; a duo of bright azure flames began to heat his skin. He gritted his teeth as he felt a minority of his flesh heat up, but he refused to make a sound out of determination.

"If you EVER try to lay a hand on me like that again, you'll be wishing I left you back in those ruins. Do I make myself clear?" Azula darkly stated.

"…Crystal."

Sighing heavily in defeat, Naruto leaned against the nearest wall, shaking his head in shame. Azula looked down at the Sage with a look of arrogance, clearly pleased at her victory.

"Oh, and by the way, you can sleep here for tonight; given your little stunt just now." Azula chuckled, closing the door as she addressed the blonde for the final time.

Darkness enveloped his sight; the dim surrounding of the closet began to cloud his vision. Shaking his head lazily, Naruto couldn't help but feel defeated by the Princess's wit and quick thinking.

"**So…essentially blackmailed by the Princess of our own homeland to use our skills to serve as an over-glorified foot soldier to a man whose regime is more of less Danzo worthy…great."**

_I know, this completely blows, but what the hell can we do? If we don't participate, Azula isn't going to follow the terms for our battle; thus, it would be a bloodbath, and all that crimson would be on our hands._

**"Can't be any worse considering how we fucked up the world."**

_Fucking low blow, Kurama._

"**Why don't we just use our power to crush this bitch and her whole fleet? We could easily kill them all if we really let loose."**

_Perhaps, but I don't want to be responsible for a major political catastrophe on our Nation's part; considering the Fire Daimyo's daughter and a man he appointed personally as a Fleet Admiral are here amongst us. We'd make even more enemies this way, not only that, but if Ozai is anything like I think he is he'd probably use this as an opportunity to capitalize on violent treatment towards the three other Nations and try to destroy them with renewed hatred; I fear our victory would cause even more bloodshed in the future._

"**Well fuck, can't we do anything? This is maddening."**

_For now, we can't; but when the battle does take place I'll only strike down those who attack me, the civilians won't be harmed by me or by Zhao's fleet for that matter as long as we are present._

"**I have to admit, not only is woman quite attractive for a sniveling human, but she's quite cunning as well. A shame she's being such a bitch, she could be a valuable mate to you considering she's the friggin' Hime of our homeland."**

_Do all you ever think about is me mating? It's actually a bit disturbing._

"**As I said before, you get laid, I get laid. And since it's been a few thousand years since I managed to REALLY get down on all fours, let's just starting I'm starting to rut. Besides, anything that helps us further of our agenda of establishing true peace is worth a bang."**

_WAAAY too much information Kurama._

"**Hey, I saw you and that Water Hime smack your lips together on that bridge, so don't you talk to me about not wanting to get laid."**

_I honestly expected things not to go that fast, Yue-hime is a wonderful woman though; she certainly deserves more than Hahn-teme._

"**Well now Hahn needs hands."**

_Puns, really?_

**"Yep."**

_Ugh._

**"She probably will get a new husband if Arnook decides to take your advice, ya know, if we don't end up defeating her Tribe to be secured under Ozai's regime."**

_That doesn't sit well with me either…even if we win, we still lose. I can only imagine the current policies of the Fire Nation will destroy these people's culture, we'll destroy them by not destroying them._

**"Hey, life's a bitch."**

_But we're responsible for this!_

**"Not like that supposed Messiah would be able to defeat a Fleet this size alone…"**

_True, he's childish and undisciplined, not to mention his innocence and naivety could ultimately be his undoing on the battlefield…_

**"We agree on that much at least."**

_If we encounter him though, he's ultimately fair game considering the circumstances, if I hold back, especially to an opponent of that importance; Azula could very well order Zhao to attack all encampments upon my hesitation._

**"I have a feeling your right for once Kit, she seems like she'd pull that kind of dick-move, given what she's already doing."**

"But what of people like Katara and her rather imbecilic brother, Sokka? Would you strike them down as well Kit? Something tells me you wouldn't; you may be a great deal more hardened more than this Avatar Aang is, but you aren't a true monster like me."

_…Katara shows great promise as a Waterbender, and I sense Sokka has yet to find his true potential. I'll try to knock them out at best if I confront them, and as for Pakku, I doubt he'll fall so easily even if I'm actually a great deal stronger than him._

"**The old man is quite powerful in the Art of Water Release, though I'm sure if we were to actually fight him without holding back and use abilities other than Waterbending we could kill him."**

_I don't want to kill him, but we might have no other choice._

**"Who says you'll get to fight him? If Azula and Zhao are so dead-set on killing Aang they might just nuke him and rush past to kill the Avatar himself."**

_True, but even with an additional edge in this battle due to the scroll I gave Azula-hime I doubt the Waterbenders will fall so easily; they have that look about them that reminds me of Konoha…_

**"The Hi no Ishi exists within a frigid encampment? Irony, doth how you troll us."**

_Indeed._

**"Before you nod off Kit, there's something I need to tell you."**

_And what is that?_

**"I was visited by Faust during a time while you were at the Water Tribe."**

_What! How! You exist within my mind! I should've felt his presence!_

**"Don't get so freaked out Kit, he visited in MY mind. Remember, I can hear what you're thinking but you can't hear what I'm hearing; he visited me at a place your consciousness couldn't reach."**

_Spirits cheat at cards, I swear…_

"**Ha ha hah, true that! Anyway, he told me that the Spirit World has been keeping tabs on us ever since we 'woke up' persay."**

_Really? Well, I can't say I'm surprised given how long Faust watched over me and constantly kept us revitalized._

**"Faust told me to tell you that some of them arguing whether you entering this conflict will disrupt the balance of nature itself, others are content with you doing what you please but some of have voiced their discontent."**

_Well those who disagree can bite me, not like they can do anything about it anyway._

**"Good to see you're taking this so well, anyway back to the point. He also told me that sometime tomorrow he's going to drop by and visit you, or rather us."**

_What? When?_

**"He didn't say."**

_Of course not._

**"He just said it was when 'all joined as one once more'."**

_Cryptic as hell, as usual._

**"Did you come to expect anything else?"**

_Good point._

Anything else I should know about?

**"Nothing else for now, try to get some sleep Kit, though given your room that's going to be a bit difficult."**

_I've slept in worse, remember the orphanage?_

**"…And just when I had forgotten the cockroaches."**

_Goodnight Kurama._

**"Goodnight, Naruto."  
_**

*Zhao's Ship, Morning*

Breathing heavily in his sleep, Naruto had a bit of a hard time getting to sleep. The space was confined and uncomfortable, so it wasn't like he could stretch out properly. Deciding to enter a meditation stance, he looked to find peace in his rather compact surrounding. He eventually fell asleep so it worked better than he expected of course, to which he woke to a smell of musky dust and a faded sense of blackness that accompanied his weary eyes.

Standing up nonchalantly while yawning loudly, the Sage attempted to stand, only to step in a bucket and fall backward, sending all the supplies of said room crashing down on top of him upon hitting a nearby rack. His muffled scream could be only slightly heard under the sound of everything falling onto to him, which the crash made much more of a noise than his yell itself.

Soon enough, the door flung open to investigate the scene, to which Naruto could barely see a feminine visage through the supplies. A bubbly fit of laughter and snorting was heard soon after, to which the figure soon started to clear all items off of him.

"Hello Ty Lee…" Naruto muttered through a mop that had landed on his head, making him look like an old woman.

"Hey there Naruto, are you okay? Looks like you had a fight with the closet and lost." Ty Lee half-giggled.

"You noticed?" Naruto laughed, feeling a bit better himself.

As the acrobat started to clear off the Sage off all the supplies that had landed on him, she looked at him square in the face rather softly, surprising Naruto somewhat. "I'm sorry you had to sleep in here, Zula really doesn't like people their opinions around here; she's usually okay with me doing it for some reason, but not many other people get to speak their minds so freely."

"I noticed…" The blonde grumbled grumpily.

"Why does she let you do it, Ty-chan? Are you two…close, or something?" Naruto grinned somewhat mischievously, earning a small blush from the acrobat.

"W-What? N-no! No, nothing like that!" Ty Lee stuttered, while mock beating up the downed Sage at the same time.

Naruto gazed at her for a moment in silence, his blue and viridian eye meeting hers once more. An unusual quietness filled the room for at least a minute, before he decided to address the situation a bit more boldly. "Ty Lee, I told you I can read minds upon eye contact, I can tell you're lying."

The pink girl went to defend herself but then remembered the truth about Naruto's rather peculiar ability, sighing lightly in defeat. Naruto's grin continued to widen in almost Chesire like smile, clearly quite amused by what he had heard.

"Well…yes, Azula and I have a…relationship, persay. We…we try to keep it a secret though, it's never displayed too openly." Ty Lee muttered somewhat sadly.

"Soooo…when did you two hook up?" Naruto asked curiously.

"When we were eight…" The acrobat stated happily in a sense of nostalgia, earning an even more intrigued stare from Naruto.

The youngest relationship he had known was between Konohamaru and Moegi, and even that hadn't started off easily. They were both ten to eleven when they had actually begun going out on date's persay, but it wasn't easy for them in the beginning due to their inexperience.

"Pardon me if I step above my station Ty-chan, but usually a homosexual relationship, either with men or women; usually don't start off that early. After all, most youths are often given the whole 'when a man and a woman love each very much' speech early on and are introduced to the concepts of heterosexuality much more so than homosexuality; probably due the fact that a man and a man or a woman with a woman can't produce, but I personally don't discriminate." Naruto finished smiling, earning a relieved sigh from Ty Lee in the process.

"Oh that's a relief, trust me when I say that Azula and I both know the dangers of our relationship. She's a royal, and I of course don't particularly belong to any official royal family, throw in the fact that I'm of the same sex and you're asking for controversy. If Ozai found out that his daughter was in a relationship like this and obviously no future heir would come of it, he'd be outraged. Azula might be banished or thrown in prison and I'd probably get the death penalty for 'corrupting' his daughter." The acrobat stated sadly.

Naruto shook his head in disbelief, quite shocked at Ozai's policies. "Truly? In my day when a member of a royal clan, be a man or a woman liked a member of their same sex whether it was a civilian or fellow noble, it was looked down upon surely but it wasn't discriminated against that harshly. Sure you'd have the occasional bigot disown his or her son or daughter upon discovering the relationship, but imprisonment and or death? Damn, things really have gone down Shit Creek."

Ty Lee giggled at Naruto's analogy, finding the way to phrase the rather dangerous situation so humorously funny within itself. "Azula and I both recognize that, hence why we've kept a secret for so long. We first found out we liked each other in a bathtub, and we were both at the time as I stated before. It started off as a physical attraction and eventually developed into something more, much to our continued mutual interest."

Naruto blushed ever so slightly at the thought, rubbing his temples to regain his composure. "That's some pretty risqué material for someone at that age to experiment with, I'm not gonna even ask if you two 'Played Doctor' when you were that age."

Ty Lee turned red almost immediately and delivered a swift jab to Naruto's arm, to which he had a good laugh at. Rubbing his arm for a moment, he turned to face the acrobat once more.

"How did you and Azula even hook up anyway? Ya know, besides the obvious story you just told me." Naruto mumbled offhand.

"What do you mean by that?" Ty Lee inquired.

Rubbing the back of his neck nervously, the blonde looked the bubbly girl in her chocolate eyes directly. "I mean, I can see why you'd both be possibly physically attracted to one another, both of you are quite pretty; but what I mean is how you actually emotionally connected? Granted, you're a bubbly, happy, happy-go-lucky person and Azula…well, how do I put it kindly? She's a bit uptight, official, cocky, and a bit self-entitled herself…not only that but I got to experience firsthand last night what she's like when she's aggressive, not pleasant let me assure you."

Ty Lee sighed heavily, rubbing her hands through her light hazel hair. "Azula's a bit rough around the edges, but with me in private she seems to be a completely different person. She confines things in private with me, her doubts, and her fears…things she doesn't tell anyone else. I think she's been through a lot too…she was never really close to her mom from what I know."

"Really? So you're telling me behind that rough exterior Azula is a bit softer than what she lets on? Good to know, I'll keep it mind." Naruto chuckled, earning a frantic look from Ty Lee.

"You can't tell her I told you, she'd kill me! Please, pretty please don't!" The acrobat exclaimed, waving her arms like a madman.

Naruto laughed harder in response, shaking his head nonchalantly. "Relax Ty-chan, I won't tell her you told me, I'll just use it to my advantage when the time is right that's all. Now can you do me a favor and pull me out of this crap?"

Ty Lee nodded somewhat happily and began to toss aside all the closet supplies that had buried themselves on top of Naruto. As he stood to remove the bucket stuck to his foot, he wobbled a bit trying to maintain his balance while Ty Lee herself tried to removed the bucket. Losing his sense of gravity Naruto began to fall forward, to which neither himself or Ty Lee could do anything to stop his descent.

As Ty Lee and the Sage respectively both hit the ground behind them, Naruto had managed to stop his fall by stretching his knees around Ty Lee's sides while his palms had planted themselves next to the sides of the acrobat's head. Their faces were now inches away from one another, as Naruto's cloak drenched itself over her body, covering a majority of both of their figures.

It wasn't long before the two started blushing immensely, their faces as bright and vibrant as tomatoes. It was long before Naruto realized that something had begun to press against chest ever so strongly, something soft yet firm, puffy yet bouncy. Something reminiscent of airbags…the Sage began to slowly look down in a realization that horrified.

Breasts.

Ty Lee's breasts to be precise.

Gulping heavily in fear that this would lead to a Sakura-esque beating, he tried desperately not to stare…but then his eyes seemed to move on themselves.

He blamed Jiraiya…oh HOW he blamed Jiraiya.

They weren't nearly as overzealously large as Tsunade's, but they seemed to near what he had come to have known Hinata's by after he had seen her without her daunting Eskimo coat on. She was certainly well proportioned for someone her age, something he knew that other girls who knew her were probably jealous of.

Once again Kurama's laughter echoed in his mind, taunting him ever so viciously.

"**Come on Kit, grab em! Ya know you want to!…"**

_N-n-n-n-no! I shouldn't! I c-can't! I'll get killed!_

**"You know it'd be completely worth it." **Shaking the Kyuubi's perverted thoughts as well as his own out of his mind, Naruto began to regain his composure as Ty Lee was still too flustered to do anything. She had seen his face from an entirely straightforward angle, as well have witnessed his broad, firm chest from a near touchable level. She herself as a young woman had the urge to feel his pectorals, but she was still shocked to do anything.

"Ahem."

Both downed teenagers looked to their right to see and old man dressed in a Fire Nation General outfit smiling mischievously down on both of them. A look of both envy and mockery was instilled in his rather calm face, obviously enjoying the situation at hand.

Atop his head his hair was encased in a small bun similar to Zhao's, but was much more grey in color. He was also much pudgier than the Admiral, a good deal of wait being present within him. A steaming tea cup was held in both of his hands; the sizzling smell of herbs began to fragrance the air.

Looking at each other upon the realization of what it must've looked like to the elderly man, they quickly and frantically began trying to get up, Ty Lee's knee placing itself within Naruto's sternum in the process. A rather violent cough was heard in response, as the Sage rolled off the acrobat, writhing in pain.

Ty Lee was the first to regain her balance and bowed customary to the old man, and then hugged him lightly in a sense of remembrance.

"It's good to see you again, Iroh. Last time I checked you weren't you with Zuko?" Ty Lee asked curiously, trying to completely ignore what just happened and skip on to another topic. Naruto still writhed on the floor with pain before balancing himself a nearby wall as Iroh looked over the girl's shoulder to see the rather strange looking lad.

"Yes, but circumstance lead to a rather tragic circumstance…I'm afraid our Prince may be no more." Iroh said feigning sadness, knowing full well the truth of his nephew's fate.

"Z-Zuko is…dead? That's horrible! Whatever you do, do NOT tell Mai about this Iroh! It would break her heart!" Ty Lee exclaimed in a horrified state, saddened as well for the supposed passing of the Prince of the Fire Nation.

"I won't my dear, I'll only tell her when the time is right. But I must ask, what were you in this stranger doing? It looked as if I was interrupting something rather…intimate, if I may so myself." Iroh chuckled, earning a slap on the head from the acrobat.

As Naruto regained his balance and dusted himself off, he looked up at the old man in pain as his composure returned. "Hello there, I'm Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, Azula's new traveling companion. We crossed paths as she was traveling to this vessel, and we fought off a group of rogue Earthbenders together. She was impressed by my skills and decided to bring me along."

"Really? From what I've known about my niece she isn't too easily impressed; so you must be quite the warrior, boy. I must say your name has a nice ring to it even if it is a bit uncommon, which is not saying much by your rather unusual if you don't me addressing." Iroh stated calmly as he took another sip of his tea.

"I get that a lot, trust me. I'm a foreigner from the Earth Kingdom if you must know, though I never really agreed with my Nation's policies in regards to the Fire Nation so I left it behind." The Sage lied, earning a curious stare from Ty Lee only for her to understanding the meaning of his fabrication shortly afterwards.

"I see…you do have quite the unusual hair color though my boy and its length is quite remarkable as well; I'm sure you were quite the lady-killer back in your hometown, you probably still are." Iroh laughed heartily.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment; the old man didn't know how right he was. "In truth Iroh-san the females of my village were always less than interested in me for quite a while, only quite a bit later in these teenage years of mine have they started to tried garner for my attention; it's a mixed blessing at best I assure you."

The rather portly continued to laugh, his admirable gut bouncing with each chuckle. Wiping a few tears away from his eyes he looked at the blonde with a much more serious look. Looking at the new disheveled closet, the old man could only shake his head lightly. "I see your accommodations aren't exactly worthy of being with Azula's company; did something occur to anger her?"

"I spoke my mind about the Fire Nation's policies in this War, pointing what was specifically wrong about at them at best. Let's just say she didn't take it too well and stuffed me in the storage compartment for the night as punishment; the unusual sight you witnessed was an attempt at Ty Lee trying to wrench me out of there after everything collapsed on me, to which I fell on her after losing my balance." Naruto sighed heavily, a small blush still evident within Ty Lee's cheeks.

"My niece has never been one to accept criticism kindly, let me assure that you're one of the lucky ones Naruto, usually people who voice their opinions around royalty are often imprisoned or even executed for supposed insubordination or heresy. I myself never found such measures against people who just want to speak their minds freely necessary, something which my brother and I have often argued about." Iroh muttered regrettably, taking another swig of his tea.

"Truly? You'd openly disagree with your brother? Given that he's the current Fire Lord I didn't think you of all people would try to vocally defy him." Naruto stated casually.

"To date I think I'm the only person to speak of ill refute or even speak against my brother's policies, how he thinks he can unify the Four Nations through such violence is beyond me. I've always thought that Ozai took after our own father, the late Fire Lord Azulon, far too well. I know that a person should not speak ill of parents, but my father was hardly a saint himself; always pressing on forward blindly about carrying our grandfather Sozin's dying testament of true Unification."

"Azulon blindly followed the will of his father, and now I feel my brother has repeated the same mistake of ill refute without properly thinking of the consequences at hand. I'm not even sure if Ozai had truly originally believed Sozin's regime to be justified, I personally think it was just a matter of time until our father's words of Sozin's plan indoctrinated itself within Ozai's mind. Now I'm almost certain Ozai truly believes in a will he was never even around to witness, blindly following the wishes of his father and of his father before him." Iroh muttered regrettably, swigging down his last sip of tea.

Naruto couldn't help but feel sympathy for the elderly, portly man; it wasn't the first time someone had followed had a path out of a blind sense of loyalty and or vengeance. Ozai had followed his father's intentions that were past down by his grandfather, similar to how Sasuke had inherited the Nikushimi no Noroi from his ancestors before him.

Some could argue that it wasn't really either man's fault, and they simply inherited the hateful nature from their relatives before them; but it became more evident over time that Sasuke had truly believed in his path of vengeance, becoming truly and utterly devoted to it. A part of Naruto feared the same outcome for the current Fire Daimyo, who would feel the need to exercise his ancestor's regime to forcefully unite the world throughout absolute domination.

"At least someone else is willing to view things in a different light, I suppose with age comes wisdom, right old man?" Naruto chuckled, earning a collective grin from both Ty Lee and Iroh respectively.

"I suppose so, though you yourself are quite knowledgeable for one your age, it is most surprising. While I cannot say I am blame them, many youths of today's world only see the troubles of this world on a purely black and white scale; they do not pause to see the in between, which in itself often leads to disaster." Iroh contemplated casually, not knowing the truth behind Naruto's actual age.

"On that we can agree can agree upon Iroh, I only hope in time Azula will be able to truly see that this war isn't just about who's right and who's wrong; perhaps in time I can persuade her to see things differently." Naruto muttered softly.

Iroh chuckled grimly, wiping a small tear from his eye. "You'll need the aid of the Spirits and the luck of a greased noble to pull that one off my boy, but perhaps someday it will be possible for someone; even if that person isn't you."

As Naruto began to walk past Iroh and Ty Lee, he had not taken more than seven steps before the acrobat had called out to him. He turned around slowly to look at the pink girl, who had taken out his old headband from her side pocket. Tossing it to him gently, silk and metal whirled across the air until they connected with his hand. Wrapping across his forehead under his golden hair, he couldn't help but smile at the familiar feeling of something protecting him from a possible deathblow.

"Azula told me to give back your headband to you when I caught up with you, she was originally going to do it herself but considering what happened last night, I think she decided it wasn't the best idea to talk to you so soon. Sorry about that, Zula will get over it eventually Naruto, don't worry." Ty Lee said sweetly, a small smile tracing across the lips of the Sage.

"Thanks Ty-chan, if anyone needs me before we reach the Water Tribe's perimeter I'll be on the outside of the ship; mostly likely on the bridge…I have to meet up with some old friends of mine." Naruto answered cryptically, walking away without actually caring to endeavor either Ty Lee or Iroh on who exactly he was meeting once more.

"Old friends? Ty-chan? That boy is a bit of an oddity, isn't he Ty Lee?" Iroh laughed while slapping his gut.

Sighing lightly, Ty Lee shook in her head in disbelief and at this point a common acceptance. "I don't think you realize how right you are, Iroh."

*Zhao's Vessel, Hallways*

As Naruto walked through the ever looming steel maze that seemed to confine him, he knew what he had to do upon reaching the bridge; it had been far too long since he had seen any of them. He would've performed the Summoning Technique sooner had the chance been presented to him or the opportunity within itself was prime, but he had no such luck so far.

Besides, not only would their assistance be most welcome in the assault was to come, it wasn't like a majority of them were just bodies of Chakra now; their own Unification had ensured their mortality once more. They were alive as anyone else was, it was just a matter of reintroducing them to the common world and letting them know what exactly was going on.

A familiar presence tapped in the back of his mind, Kurama obviously had questions.

**"You're not just going to the bridge for fresh air I take it Kit? You're going to summon the Paths of Truth, your fellow Jinchuriki, aren't you? I can't imagine this will go over smoothly, just gonna put that out there right now."**

_It's not like I have a choice Kurama, I'm not just gonna not Summon them. They're living, breathing human beings; they aren't Chakra dolls like Nagato's Paths of Pains were. They're just as live as you or me, and more importantly, they're my friends; my brothers and sisters, comrades in arms._

**"So fucking cheesy."**

_Shut up._

**"After you tell em everything that's happened to us so far, you better inform em to tone down their respective abilities otherwise the Tribe you're trying not to pulverize is gonna be nothing but a fucking smoking crater."**

_True…_

**"Hey! Wait a moment…since Nagato reverted Madara's control of the Jinchuriki Paths to you before he died, and everyone of them minus obviously you, Gaara and Kirabi had both a Rinnegan Eye and a Sharingan Eye implanted within them; doesn't that mean your Paths, your friends, will have the Rinnegan AND Sharingan?"**

_…OOOHHHHH SHIIIIIT! I can't believe I totally forgot about that! The Rinnegan and the Sharingan in six out of nine of us, and given the fact that we're all working together…that's gonna be some asskicking worthy material right there!_

**"Not only that, but there's also the fact that the Sharingan's Mangenkyo Limit activates upon the death of your best friend; and considering how literally billions of people ended up dying and the world as we knew it ended, wouldn't that allow the six Jinchuriki under Madara's control to have the Mangenkyo Sharingan in at least one of their respective eyes?"**

_…How the hell did I overlook this!_

**"Because you're a complete moron?"**

_You didn't think of it until now either!_

**"At least I thought of it first."**

_Ugh._

**"While in truth Gaara and Kirabi would only have the Rinnegan, that's still quite a Dojutsu within itself. Maybe when you meet up with Faust again sometime today you can ask him if he can heal your damaged eye. Madara-teme sure did a number on your face, and it would be really beneficial to the both of us if not only your full vision is restored; but the prime effects of both your Rinnegan and Sage Mode can be utilized to their complete extent."**

_…You really think he'll agree to something like that? Faust watched over us for literally thousands of years while constantly making sure we didn't rot away into nothing; if anything, we owe him a favor, not the other way around._

**"True, but if you could validate your point more clearly to him and explain the necessary meaning of why your returned eyesight in said eye would be beneficial to our cause it might improve our chances of persuading him."**

_Again, very true and quite observant; maybe I will ask him…_

**"Good…very good."**

"…Hey, about that old man? Iroh, wasn't it?"

_What about him?_

**"He was lying to you about Azula's brother, wasn't he? Prince Zuko wasn't it?"**

"He claimed he was dead, lost due to cruel circumstance; when you looked him directly in the eyes your thought pattern transferred the information to me that he was fibbing due to your limited clairvoyance."

"That, and any fellow Demon can usually tell when one of you humans is lying; we can sense deception upon you. It often reeks of desperation and foolishness, though I sensed none in him."

_He indeed has some semblance of honor…reminds me of Jiraiya-sensei…_

**"What did you learn from reading his mind?"**

_He's obviously lying about this Prince Zuko character, or Azula's older brother to be precise. He's not dead at all, he's here somewhere; on the ship._

"**So he's lying to Zhao and Azula to protect his nephew's well being?"**

_That's most likely the cause, you and I both heard Azula voice contempt for her brother; I doubt this Zuko would exactly care for a family reunion so early. And as for Zhao, the man seems a bit pompous; he probably just wants to subdue or kill Aang on his own to hog all the glory of presenting his corpse to Daimyo Ozai._

**"You really think he's stupid enough to try to go over Azula's head?"**

_It's quite possible; you could see the arrogance in his face as well as I could. It's obvious he doesn't care for my presence here; probably because he doesn't want to feel upstaged in an invasion that was supposed to be under his jurisdiction alone._

"**That doesn't answer why Azula's brother is here on this ship in the first place…"**

_Perhaps he means to kill or capture the Avatar first? I'd imagine raking in this supposed Messiah would grant you considerable honor in Hi no Kuni, no matter who you are, royal or military._

**"A wise guess, but I doubt Azula would be willing to give up such a prize so easily; especially to her brother of all people."**

"Are you planning on revealing Iroh's scheme to Azula? Could possibly win us some brownie points for our little incident last night."

_No…not yet I think. Let us see how this all plays out first…I'd rather see all of Iroh's cards on the table before immediately condemning him as a threat._

"**Hiding such knowledge is a dangerous task, even more so considering who you'd be hiding it from."**

_Azula will find out in due time I'm certain, but let her find out on her own accord. She is the Hime of this Nation so this problem is of her own mess; it is of no concern to me. Such family matters should be reserved to be mopped up by said family alone; I have no place in passing down judgment in this scenario._

"**That's a risky game you're intending on playing Kit, who's to say Azula won't eventually find out the truth?"**

_Regardless if she does or not, my reasons are justified in this scenario; if she discovers this threat and thwarts than all the better for her, if not, than it is not of my concern. I may serve this Nation and Azula along with it, but she has given me reasons to doubt her and more specifically her father._

_In time I hope to make her see the error of her father's foolish judgment that has been passed down for two generations now, this cycle of bloodshed must end._

"**Words well spoken, you're much more like Minato than you think, Kit…he'd be proud."**

_…Thanks Kurama, that means a lot me._

**"Hey, we're partners, aren't we? You taught me that a long time ago."  
**_

*Northern Water Tribe*

"What do you mean he just vanished?" Katara exclaimed in a rather annoyed tone.

Sokka rubbed his temples, tired of explaining it for the seventh thousandth time.

"I swear by our Ancestors, the guy just disappeared! Zoop! Right out of thin air! One moment he's chatting up Princess Yue and the next he disappears faster than meat around me at a buffet!" The warrior exclaimed rather ravishingly, savoring the thought of roasted beef in his mouth.

Katara and Aang couldn't help but roll their eyes, having come to expect meat related metaphors from Sokka by now. But no matter how hard they thought, neither one of them could think of how anyone could just literally vanish away into nothing; it didn't seem physically possible. For a Spirit perhaps it was an easy feat, but for a human being? It just didn't make sense, nothing was adding up.

"What were Naruto and Yue talking about anyway? You said you overhead a lot of their conversation?" Aang inquired, earning a mischievous look from Katara.

"By 'overheard' I think Sokka meant spying." The Inuit girl chuckled, earning a frustrated look from her brother.

"I didn't spy on them! I was just watching their every move!" Sokka proclaimed rather proudly, an almost empathetic look being shot off at him from Aang.

Walking over to his friend slowly, Aang casually put his hand on his friend's shoulder; the Avatar softly shook his head with a sense of humor behind it. "Sokka, that's the same exact thing."

"No it's not!" Sokka pleaded desperately.

"Yeah, yeah it kind of is." Katara added in.

Shaking his head in infuriation, the now flustered warrior shook his arms like a madman to defend himself. "Whatever! Watching, spying, you're both missing the point! I still heard a lot of what they were talking about! Naruto said something about protecting Yue no matter what the situation was to become in the future, what does anyone make of that?"

Katara's eyes widened ever so slightly, cupping her chin in thought. Aang seemed a bit as well, trying to decipher the cryptic words left behind by the even stranger man. They would've spent a few more moments in thought, before Sokka decided to impulsively voice his opinion.

"Maybe he's a spy from the Fire Nation?" Sokka said out of nowhere, surprising both his sister and Aang.

"What makes you say that?" Aang asked.

Raising both of his palms to defend his claims, Sokka was ready to alleviate his claim. "Think about it, he looks like a complete weirdo, acts like a complete weirdo, has a crapload of abilities we haven't seen and acts more or less friendly to near everyone; ya know, except for Hahn who is now without his hands."

"But he Waterbends and Earthbends, he told us his mother and father from that small town in the Earth Kingdom taught him so. Besides, even if that story isn't true, why would the Fire Nation want a person who can Waterbend on their side? They hate our kind with a burning passion, no pun intended." Katara stated somewhat heatedly.

"Maybe they made an acceptation for him? Look at the Bending he's capable of performing in both the Waterbending and Earthbending Styles, maybe they just decided he was worthy temporarily looking past their policies?" Sokka tried to defend himself, earning a head shake from his sister.

"Sokka, there's no way the Fire Nation would ever look past such a thing; their far too bigoted to even consider making anyone other than Firebenders their allies." Katara said in a defensive manner.

Before the debate could continue, a random man burst through their door in a panicked state; alarming the group considerably to the point where Sokka fell out of his bed. Momo screeched in a burst of fear, clinging onto Aang considerably.

"Avatar! You and your friends are to report to Arnook immediately!" The man said as he panted heavily.

"Why? What's wrong?" Aang inquired curiously.

"Don't tell me that we did something wrong again?" Sokka moaned as he held his head in pain, rolling around the icy floor in agony.

"No, it's not that…it's much worse than that I fear." The man rasped fearfully,

"What is it then?" Katara asked.

"Our scouts far out past the perimeter of the Tribe has reported confirming visual of a massive armada headed this way…"

"…It's Fire Nation."

*Zhao's Vessel, Outer Bridge*"

Naruto stood amongst the open parameter of the bridge, casually looking by as many of the readying soldiers passed him in preparation to properly to assign ordinance to each and every station. Sighing heavily with a hint of nostalgia, Naruto performed a few hand signs; ready to see his old friends again.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Shinjitsu no Pasu."

A large puff of smoke engulfed the surrounding perimeter, which lead to the coughing and hacking of many nearby foot soldiers. As the haze cleared, numerous figures could be seen standing by the blond Sage.

The first of which was a man dressed in clad red, a torn grey military jacket wrapping around his chest. He wore dark grey pants accompanied by pure black sandals, both of his eyes swirled with dark violet textures, the first of three to do so. A bright red Kanji symbol on his head that translated to Love was entirely evident, which was in turn accompanied by an even darker set of red hair. The most noticeable feature about the young man was a large gourd of some sort strapped to his back, evidently filled with something in which the contents remained currently unknown.

Subaku no Gaara, Jinchuriki of the Ichibi no Shukaku; and much more prominently, the man who was once the Godaime Kazekage of Sunagakure.

Second was a rather mature looking blonde woman, the first to bare the swirling crimson and violet eyes of the Sharingan and Rinnegan Kekkei Genkai respectively. Her hair was adorned in a long ponytail; a black shirt remained somewhat hidden under a small light purple vest. Two black fingerless gloves took refuge upon her hands, her arms and ankles covered in white sashes. Around her waist a crimson belt was draped, which in turn was complimented by a pair of dark purple pants.

Yugito Nii of Kumogakure, Jinchuriki of the Bakenono Nibi, the Two Tails Monster Cat, Matatabi.

Third was a young looking man whose skin seemed very clear and creamy. A strange scar had made its way down his right eye; a green scarf-like garment adorned itself around his neck. His outfit seemed very formal almost like it commanded respect; not nearly as casual as his companions. It was mainly clad in both black and different shades of green, aside from hazel boots and a headband bearing a strange symbol that wrapped itself around his waist. Like Gaara before him his most prominent feature adorned his back, a giant black spear-hook like weapon that was accompanied by a light viridian flower.

Yagura, Jinchuriki of the Kyodaigame Sanbi, the Three Tails Giant Turtle, Isobu. Akin to Gaara, Yagura too held rank in what was once his village; he was once the Yondaime Mizukage of Kirigakure; in which most of his reign was corrupted through his manipulation under the eyes of Uchiha Madara.

The fourth and considerably older man bore brazen red hair similar to Gaara, though even his beard and sideburns were crimson as well. His boots and fingerless gloves were both black, his entire body adorned by a large magenta coat of some sort. A three pronged helmet decorate his head, which shared its hazel color with a large brown sash wrapped around the elderly man's waist.

Much like Yugito Nii, he was not a Kage of any sort like Yagura or Gaara, but his tales of valor had made him well known in ancient times. He was Roshi, or more prominently known Yoton no Roshi, Roshi of the Fire Release; one of the most powerful ninja of Iwagakure. Roshi himself was Jinchuriki to one of the most illustrious albeit boastful Biju of all the Nine, Son Goku, who prided himself as both Sen'en no O and the Seiten Taisei, the King of the Sage Monkeys and the Great Sage Equaling Heaven respectively. The ape was more commonly known as the Saru Yonbi, the Four Tails Monkey; though it hated such brash terminology and would often demand to be addressed by its self-given titles or its actual name.

Fifth was the largest and tallest member amongst them all, standing at least seven and a half feet tall. Completely adorned in a bright crimson armor that's only differencing colors being the black vest, gloves and pants; this individual was undoubtedly the most mysterious among them. An old fashioned almost samurai-esque hat adorned his crown, which in turn covered his most of head itself through a white sash that descended down from under it.

The mysterious stranger's name was Han, who had hailed from Iwagakure similarly to his fellow Jinchuriki in arms, Roshi. Han himself was host to the Iruka-Ba Gobi, the Five Tails Dolphin Horse, Kokuo.

The sixth was a rather handsome young man who has hazel hair drooped down in front of his face, leaving only one eye exposed completely. He was dressed in a rather light blue gown of sort that symbolized royalty, a golden sash adorning his waist. A peculiar small pipe was lodged in his mouth, content on resting itself within his gums.

A former missing-Nin of Kirigakure, Utakata was the Jinchuriki of the Namekuji Rokubi, Saiken. He and Naruto had met previously before the Fourth Great Ninja World War brought on by Madara; where they conversed upon their views on fellow Jinchuriki and of the war with what was once the Akatsuki itself. The young man was tragically captured and killed however by Akatsuki's efforts, leaving his self-titled servant Hotaru to grieve, in which she found eventual comfort in Naruto's arms themselves.

The second to last and seventh of the Jinchuriki was a young female with light mint hair mainly dressed in white. Her legs and her navel remained bear with almost fishnet material surfacing from her apron skirt and shorts. Long silver colored sleeves covered most of her arms; a large crimson cylindrical was draped over her back, similarly to Gaara's gourd and Yagura's spear-hook. An almost mischievous smile quickly bordered across her face, to which Naruto was glad to see after so long.

Her name was Fu, who had hailed from Takigakure as the Jinchuriki of the Kabutomushi Nanabi, the Seven Tails Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle, Chomei; who often addressed itself has Rakki Sebun Chomei, Lucky Seven Chomei.

The last and eighth amongst those summoned was a large, tall African American man draped in mainly white garments decorated with the occasional crimson polishing that adorned his gloves and boots. His pants and sandals were a charcoal black, a Kumogakure headband draping itself over his head, which were accompanied by black sunglasses covering his eyes. A numerous multitude of small blades whose hilts were all a dark red were attached to many sheaths upon his back, though from common inspection one would guess they were far too many swords for one man to use; the populace couldn't have been more wrong.

The rather rambunctious man's name was Kirabi; the adoptive brother to the Yondaime Raikage A, and much more prominently, the Jinchuriki of the Tako Ushi Hachibi, the Eight Tails Octopus Ox, Gyuki.

Mere moments after they had arrived, smiles had rapidly crept their way up the Nine's faces upon seeing each other once more.

The Jinchuriki stood as brothers and sisters in arms once more.

And that was made incredibly clear through a shriek of joy but Fu, who jump glomped Kirabi and Naruto at the same time, rubbing her now incredibly content on both of theirs. Roshi and Han were shaking hands once more, while both Utakata and Yagura exchanged friendly glances at one another.

Gaara pulled Naruto out of Fu's ever clinging embrace, with Yugito strangely willing to take the fellow blonde's face; contented with Fu's cheerful demeanor and more than happy to see her old friend Kirabi again. The old but youthful Kazekage greeted the one who saved him with an almost tearful hug, overjoyed to see Naruto once more.

The Sage returned the hug with equal passion, glad to see finally see his fellow brothers and sisters once more. Gaara and Naruto's hold was interrupted shortly afterwards by an over energetic Fu, who was now done hugging the life out of Kirabi and Yugito; now held both sons of Kage's in an enthusiastic headlock.

After a few moments of laughing that induced tears, and rampant greetings galore, everyone finally started to calm down. The nearby foot soldiers didn't even begin to question what was going on, the scene was so foreign to them they all just decided it was best they ignored it.

Wiping a few tears from his eyes, Naruto looked at his fellow Jinchuriki with the largest smile he had ever given the new world. He had no doubt that the Biju had or were still having a reunion with one another physically across the minds of their hosts; it was a good day for everyone.

"Guys…I can't even tell you how good it feels to see you all back again…you have quite literally have no idea how happy I am to see you all." Naruto happily remarked, tears still coming down his cheeks.

"Then why are you crying, Naruto-kun? That doesn't seem very happy." Fu commented in her usual uppity fashion, leaning happily against Han's armor who could only sigh in contentment.

"Happy reunions like this always bring in the waterworks, yo. I'd cry but that just wouldn't be very tight, now would it?" Kirabi said as he began to rap ever so slightly, to which Yugito shook her head in disbelief. Utakata and Yagura laughed together lightly, their arms draped over one another's shoulders to balance each other's weight which they had yet to get used to again.

"Already and you start in with that infernal rapping of yours? You'd think a few thousand years being out of commission and you would've matured…" Yugito casually remarked facepalming as she said so.

The large black man soon struck a pose in his usual eccentric fashion, clearly lightly offended. "Hey, don't be hatin' on me! I'm still the one and only Killer Bee! Might've been a dead for a few thousand years, but when it comes to free verse I gotta steer clear!"

Roshi couldn't resist joining Yugito in a united facepalm, much to Fu and Naruto's combined amusement. Utakata chuckled ever so lightly, taking a joint step forward with Yagura. Before either one could state their case, the usually silent armored titan Han decided to make his own opinion known first.

"It's been quite awhile since we've the eight of us excluding you of course Naruto-san have seen the light of day once more; I'm sure we all have questions to what we're doing here, where we are currently, what has become of the world, and of course, what convoluted nonsense you have gotten yourself into." Han muttered quietly, a resounding chorus of laughs escaping the mouths of Fu, Kirabi and Yagura respectively.

Naruto couldn't resist a small chuckle himself, looking up at his newly revived friends with a look of mock hurt. "Ah come on guys, don't you have some faith in me at least that I'm not in over my head again?"

"No."

"Not really."

"You may be capable, but you're perfectly capable of getting yourself in a mess as well."

Such were the utterances of Yagura, Utakata and Roshi respectively; while Naruto himself faked a blow to the stomach. Kirabi stood behind his longtime friend and patted him on the back lightly, a bright smile shining across his face.

"We all know ya too well by now boy; don't try to be foolin' us with an innocent ploy! All of us know when Uzumaki Naruto is back, y'all be ready for some for flack; that's just the fact, jack!"

Rolling his eyes and sharing a laugh with his large dark-skinned friend, Naruto couldn't help but shake his head in acceptance of the facts at hand. Whenever he did get involved in something, no matter if it was a big problem or a small when at first; it always seemed to grow bigger and more prominent whenever he joined the picture. He guessed it was karma itself at work considering that nothing in his life ever seemed to be simple, but hey, what was he supposed to do?

Cracking his knuckles and looking up at his fellow Jinchuriki, he was more than ready and able to alleviate their curiosity. "Alright, where do I begin…?"

*Northern Water Tribe*

News of Chieftain's Arnook's summoning of all civilians and warriors of the prominence had almost everyone on edge, even Pakku, the most experienced fighter amongst them all. Nearly everyone present could almost guess what their leader was about to announce, even if they pleaded with fate for it not to be true. Fear had spread through everyone's systems like a poison, corrupting them with thoughts of death and failure while struggling to survive as the worst had yet to come.

"My people, the day we have feared for so very long is upon us all…the Fire Nation is at our doorstep; and they nothing else but our sheer, unbridled decimation. It with great sorrow I call my family here before me, knowing full well that many of the faces I have come to love and adore will vanish from my sight forever…but they will NEVER vanish from our hearts."

"Now, as we approach the battle for our very existence, I call upon the great Spirits to watch over us, our Ancestors to Guide us, and Tui and La Themselves to gaze upon our struggle! God of the Ocean! God of the Moon! Be with us here today in what shall either make or break us as a whole! I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission...Gods know we'll need heroes in our darkest hour."

A young man rises from amongst the crowd, a brash fiery determination evident in his eyes. "Count me in! I couldn't make a difference when the Fire Nation harassed by Tribe, I won't stand by and be helpless this time!"

"Sokka…" His sister whispered, impressed by her brother's newfound courage.

"Be warned, many of you will not return from this battle; while this struggle may indeed be a battle we can win, it cannot be done without sacrifice. Blood must be shed on both sides today regardless if we are destroyed or if we prosper…it is the inevitable tragedy of war. To all those who volunteer, come forth and receive my mark if you're up to this task."

Sokka steps forward the man before him receives the Mark of War, passing him by almost sorrowfully at what could inevitably be his end. Three crimson lines are passed onto to Sokka's face by Arnook himself, a declaration of rebellion against the invaders at hand. The young man gazes in Yue's direction looking for either comfort or output, to which the young woman averts her gaze and closes her eyes; tears strolling down her smooth, creamy cheeks.

She didn't want this for Sokka, yet alone anyone; the brutality of war should not be met with those who have barely lived their lives. With each coming battle younger warriors replace the elderly, and with each empty grave therein lies a man who had yet to truly live…truly, war was Hell.

The Chieftain looks over his Tribe as many begin sharpening their weapons, or conversing with their fellow soldiers for tactics if the worse should occur. Others said goodbye to their families, to which such sorrowful reunions usually led to tears on both sides. Even more offered words of regret and hope to their lovers, many of whom were engaged to one another.

A line of black and red could be seen across the very borderline of the sea from what could be seen with the naked eye, a malevolent promise of the destruction that could and very well would follow. Arnook shook his head in obvious disapproval, dismayed by the odds against him and his people.

"The stillness before battle is unbearable…such a quiet dread."

Aang looks out to the ever growing rows of black, a look of determination showing itself upon his face. Katara stands next to him, bracing herself for what is to come.

"I wasn't there when the Fire Nation butchered my people…I'm going to make a difference this time; I won't let what happened so long again occur again, I won't."

A warrior steps forward Arnook and Aang's company ever so grimly, all of them when the sound of footsteps is within audible range; and all express their apparent shock at the rather dismal site before them.

Hahn's eyes narrow with almost hateful determination, a hint of contempt presents itself within his face. What used to be his hands are now no more than bloody stumps bandaged over and over again, but it is what replaces his means of holding a sword that shocks everyone. Forcefully and crudely taking his hands place are two blades, each one representing the failure of his battle with Naruto. Holding his custom means of fighting to his sides, Hahn glares out at the sea with unbridled fury.

"The healers did everything they could to help me; but one cannot replace a severed limb with Waterbending alone. I had my servants tend to my wounds shortly afterwards, in which these blades were placed within what were once my hands; an agonizing experience I wish I could forget. I requested it though; if I cannot hold a sword my hands will be swords instead."

Arnook sighed heavily, admiring the boy's determination for looking past what was obviously a truly painful experience but perturbed by his hatred and his lack of rationality. "Lord Hahn, even with your makeshift weapons I cannot allow you to partake in the mission I have set forth; it is a matter requiring espionage, and protruding swords do not carry such secrecy with them.

Hahn snorts angrily in retaliation, shaking his arms in frustration.

"Fine, then put me on the Wall, I will be there to fight the Fire Nation directly when they show their heinous faces. I'm sure it is not every day they face an opponent whose weapons are his very hands."

Arnook shakes his head in a dim manner, and nods in approval at Hahn's statement; to which the warrior walks off in a furiously determined matter to face his people's encroachers. Stepping forward softly to Sokka and placing his hand on his shoulder lightly, the young man looks up at the Chieftain in a concerned matter.

"Sokka, could you walk with me for a moment? There is a matter in which we must discuss."

The Southern Tribe warrior swallows slightly in thought, but then briefly nods in agreement. The two men begin to walk off in the opposite direction of Aang, the gap slowly closing between them both which step. At least thirty paces away from amiable eavesdropping distance, Arnook turns his head slowly as the two continue to walk on.

"Sokka…I don't want you partaking in the matter you have volunteered for." The Chieftain mutters softly, earning the attention of a now somewhat infuriated Sokka.

"But I can handle it! I'm just as much a warrior as anyone else here!" The young man proclaims defensively.

"Perhaps…but I have another task for you…something I believe I can only trust someone of your caliber with. You have traveled with the Avatar through his fateful journey more than halfway across the world, and you had voiced your obvious disapproval at Hahn's arrogance as well, a feat only you and the now distant Naruto share…you deserve much more than a death upon a Fire Nation vessel."

"Oh…okay, I guess. But what did you have in mind for me to do, exactly?"

"…To protect my daughter."  
_

*Zhao's Vessel, Outer Bridge*

After a much needed though very longwinded explanation, the reawakened Jinchuriki couldn't help but shake their heads, gape in awe and laugh at Naruto's story. They expected he would've gotten into at least SOME trouble, but this?

He hadn't been active for over three days and already he was chasing after a person rumored to be the Messiah of the world, allied with his now thousands of years developed Nation that had apparently turned into a dictatorship, shared a kiss with a Princess no less, AND was now smack dab in the middle of war caused by a totalitarianism regime started over one hundred years ago that had only evolved through a sense of self-entitlement and ever growing racial tensions.

Roshi pinched the bridge of nose in frustration; beginning to wonder how the long passed Gama Sannin Jiraiya had managed to deal with this boy's antics. "From what you've told us Naruto-san Hi no Kuni has fallen under the same tyranny that teme you opposed Shimura Danzo would've enforced on Konohagakure. I'm glad your Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen is not here to witness this outrage; the Shinobi no Kami would've not tolerated this disgrace to continue as long as it has."

"Indeed, I can only vaguely remember what my rule turned into when Madara-teme used his Mangenkyo to control me and impose his own regime on my beloved Kiri…self-serving, ignorant monster." Yagura muttered angrily, a comforting hand placed on his shoulder by an empathetic Fu.

"What do you think we should do, Naruto-san? The matter of the blackmail this Azula-hime has imposed on you in order to ensure your loyalty for this battle is truly despicable; it's a very snakelike move, she reminds me much of the tales I heard of in relation to Orochimaru who used fear to manipulate people. I think this Hime has learned a little too well from her father Naruto-san, maybe we should just aid the people you described being under the banner of this Northern Water Tribe instead." Yugito added on, a tone of considerable disapproval evident in her voice.

Naruto shook his head soon afterwards, having already come up with his own solution to the rather abundant problem at hand. "If we do that Yugito-chan than we very well risk the chance of the current Hi no Kuni declaring us not only as a mortal enemy for the death of their Daimyo's daughter, but it will only inspire Ozai to further escalate the violence of this war. Even if the Fire Nation doesn't learn that it was us specifically, they'd most likely try to shift the blame to be some kind of Water Tribe terrorist attack and use it to justify further brutality; we can't have that kind of blood on our hands so early."

"And in regards to your statement about Azula-hime, yes I'll admit she's a little rough around the edges and she has a lot of improvement to do, no thanks to her father I'm sure but that's beside the point. There IS good in here, I can sense it; she just hasn't found it yet, unlike Sasuke I believe she can be saved if there is a guiding force besides her than can show her not to be so complacent with a way of ruling she had thought to be justified for so long." Naruto replied softly, still wanting to help the Princess avoid Sasuke's fate.

"And what if she doesn't listen? This could be another Sasuke all over again Naruto-san; I don't want to see you break yourself for a person who won't listen." Gaara said almost desperately, able and willing to avoid another vengeful Uchiha scenario.

Kirabi nodded his head in agreement and pounded his chest out of respect for the Kazekage's sentiment, sharing the same beliefs as well. The vengeful young man had attacked him ages ago and yet he could still remember the hateful stare of his Kekkei Genkai; the Sharingan had been tainted by a vendetta over a hundred years old by the time Sasuke was born, so it wasn't entirely the boy's fault. Regardless, people were still responsible for their actions genetics or not; if Azula couldn't break free from her great grandfather Sozin's arrogance than maybe death was truly a safer alternative.

Naruto sighed heavily upon the redhead's words, agreeing with them to a certain extent. He had learned the hard way that not everyone can be saved, as some people truly don't want to be rescued or have fallen so far they cannot be rescued to begin with.

"If Azula-hime truly cannot be dissuaded from this tyrannical thinking put forth by three generations of self-entitled rulers than I will do what I must…even if that means killing her myself. I truly hope it does not come to such a violent alternative, but if she is truly lost I will do what I must in order to prevent another Sasuke."

Utakata took a quick puff of his water pipe, exhaling bubbles calmly. "Sounds like you've got it all planned out Naruto-san, as for our effort in this siege though, what exactly did you have in mind? If you want us to utilize our combined powers in this assault then I fear our strength will do more than this fight; we might outright destroy this Tribe in the process."

"I fear what Utakata-san says is true Naruto-san, if we did indeed utilize an all-out offensive against these people it would result in their utter annihilation. Given how you've stated your own abilities seem almost mythical to these people I can only imagine the nine of us unleashing our true talents would be far too much for these people to handle, in retrospect we are far too powerful in comparison to their own strengths." Yugito sighed heavily in agreement with Utakata's earlier statement.

Nodding his head in understanding, the famous Uzumaki smirk accompanied Naruto's face soon after. "I'm glad you guys realize this too, considering I managed to beat down Master Pakku who's apparently the strongest Waterbender there; I had help mind you but I only used Water Release Arts so it took me a bit longer than it would have had I utilized other abilities, but the point is if I can beat their mightiest fighter on my own our united powers would cripple them utterly."

"Instead I've opted for a different strategy as long as we're all together; we should use a good portion of our strength but not nearly give it everything we have against these people. Our objective here is to defeat them, not destroy them; and as long I compete in this fight Azula-hime will keep our deal in tact about ordering Admiral Zhao to not fire upon the civilian population and only the military encampments."

"The goal here is rather simple; we're to break through their defenses the best we can without slaughtering them, avoid targeting any non-combatants, and if absolutely necessary, to deal with this being I have described to you as the one they call the Avatar, a young boy named Aang who in retrospect is far older than he appears. Despite this his mentality and innocence in the field of battle I no doubt suspect will be his great weakness against us, to which we must use such flaws to our advantage. Since you are all linked to me I'm about to mentally send you images of the ones we are not to slay and to only defeat; I will not be party to outright murder."

As Naruto finished explaining, multiple images flashed across the minds of the other eight Jinchuriki; all those their friend and leader had spoken of. A young girl whose hair was adorned in loopies, a young man with his hair tied in a bun, a white haired azure-eyed beauty, and an older man in his fifties who the woman before shared a physical resemblance with. As the mental pictures the faded, the eight turned to Naruto in understanding and nodded in agreement.

"Their names are Katara, Sokka, Princess Yue and Chieftain Arnook respectively. Katara and Sokka have apparently ventured with the Avatar for a long time now, presumably at least a few months; however neither one of them seems truly prepared for what is to occur, and they have yet to understand the reality of life as we Shinobi know it, as a result they are to be only knocked unconscious if confronted and not killed. Yue and her father Arnook are the future leader and current leader of this Tribe respectively, if either one is killed the future of this Tribe itself will placed in true jeopardy; Arnook is an honorable man and Yue a great, intelligent woman, they are not to be harmed." The Sage exclaimed stiffly.

Yagura and Roshi both stepped forward, looks of concerns evident on their faces. "Forgive me Naruto-san but I doubt the Chieftain will give out without a fight, I certainly wouldn't when I was in control of my mind during the time when I was Kage over Iwa. And as for this Azula, what if she orders the deaths of these two royals? Will we outright defy her then?" Yagura asked inquisitively.

"And then there is still the matter of those facts that Yagura has brought up in general; if this Azula does indeed order their deaths and we rebel against her orders defiantly, we will be branded traitors to the current Hi no Kuni. I could also not help but notice that you did not list this Master Pakku or the Avatar himself under the names we were not to strike down; does this mean they are fair game in this battle?"

Sighing heavily while rubbing his temples in deep thought, Naruto couldn't help but consider the facts at hand. Hypocrisy of sorts was a necessary evil here, even if he detested the matter entirely. "To answer your questions in order, if Arnook does not surrender on the fields of battle he is to be knocked unconscious as well; and if Azula orders the deaths of this Tribe's leaders than we shall rebel completely and utterly, as I said I will not be party to destruction of this Tribe's culture or its people. As loyal as I and you all may be to the Land of Fire, outright destruction of its future is out of the question; this cultural genocide Fire Daimyo Ozai has implanted within the hearts of his people is a maddening matter that I will certainly not abide by in the future."

"And as for Master Pakku and Avatar Aang respectively, if their deaths truly cannot be avoided then they have chosen their fate. I truly do not wish to slay either one, Pakku is a true warrior and Aang is merely a child in the face of war, though if he will not see what truly needs to be done in order to better the world perhaps Earth is better off without a hopeless Messiah. And in retrospect if the Fire Nation declares us traitors should we rebel against Azula-hime's orders than I can say faithfully in regards to our ancestors that we will not follow tyranny; nor shall we side with a boy who is far too naïve to truly save the world, we will accomplish peace ourselves need be."

An empty silence engulfed the group, leading Naruto to fear that his friends didn't exactly agree with his words. However such silence was merely the result of wheels turning in their minds, contemplating the words of the son of Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure. Naruto's words themselves echoed of what a true Kage would say what Sarutobi Hiruzen would've been proud of. Looking at each once more, the gaze of the remaining eight turned to Naruto silently and nodded their heads in agreement. The golden-haired Sage couldn't help but smile at their understanding, proud to stand besides his fellow Nin once more.

Gaara stepped forward, a look of curiosity and possible worry adorned his face. "I'm afraid my Sand Release Techniques will be of little use in this environment Naruto-san, they would be rendered very much ineffective by how actual little sand or even dirt lies within this place. And against an onslaught of these Waterbenders as you've described them, my sand would be reduced to mud within minutes; and I only carry so much within my gourd itself."

Tapping his chin in thought, Naruto snapped his fingers in a sense of realization a few moments later. "Gaara-san, you've always been a brilliant tactical commander and an expert strategist, I'm sure once I talk to Azula-hime about your talents your strategies could be utilized to their full potential by Zhao if he's commanded to listen to you. Don't get me wrong, he'll probably be even more pissed off at me for this but in all honesty the shits I give are minimal at best so it'd probably be the best decision in your case."

Chuckling lightly at his friend's choice of words, the Kazekage could only shake his head in a sense of nostalgia. "As tactful as ever Naruto-san, I'm truly glad to be fighting alongside you once more."

Before a single word by any of the nine could spoken in response, an eerie breeze filled the air, a lack of oxygen almost immediately evident. It was a frightening thing, a feeling of a being lost since passed present amongst the current populace but its visage lacked a physical representation. A near instant later, a sharp breeze cut through the air, visible light blue strand of wind spiraled amongst one another like a miniature tornado; catching the attention of many of the soldiers and of course the Jinchuriki themselves.

As the wind began to subsides, an almost chilling feeling tore made itself evident; the harsh coldness of death made themselves all too real. As the visible air cleared, a luminescent almost glowing figure adorned in a silver cape his visage well known as he floated above the mortal beings. No limbs presented themselves from either where legs would surface or even the sleeves of the cloak; even his face could not be seen from the darkness that his hood presented itself with.

Almost immediately many of the Fire Nation soldiers aboard the bridge attacked, streaming flames from nearly every direction launched themselves at the mysterious figure; only to literally fade through his intangible form. Many shocked utterances from the men soon followed after, knowing full well that the one they targeted was obviously no mortal man; but a Spirit instead. Before any course of further action could be taken, Naruto raised his hands to still any further offensive gestures against the now panicking troops; temporarily putting them at ease.

Stepping forward slowly, Naruto couldn't help but sigh at the sudden appearance of the figure covered in white.

"Faust, you sure do love appearin' right the hell out of nowhere don't ya? Can't you tone down the mysteriousness a bit for these men? You're kinda creepin' em out." Naruto shrugged nonchalantly, his fellow Jinchuriki's eyes widening at the thought of how their friend was in common association with a Spirit.

**(I have matters of great importance to discuss with you Naruto; our time cannot be wasted with technicalities.)  
**  
"Naruto-san? How is it you know a Spirit?" Fu asked innocently, though truly curious on the inside. Naruto rubbed the back of head almost mischievously, Faust ready to answer the girl's questions before the Sage could.

**(I am Faust, and I have watched over Naruto for thousands of years now.)**

**(I know you all made the pact to become Naruto's Paths of Truth, but there is much you don't know due to your deaths.)**

**(I speak in the Old Tongue to disguise our conversation, unworthy ears must not hear of it.)**

**(Naruto, I trust your Tailed Beast told you of my coming?)**

Before Naruto could open his mouth, a mental response echoed to Faust instead.

**"I have a name asshole, I advice you use it; Kami knows I've earned some respect from you Spirits for all the shit I've been through."**

**(God owes you nothing, fox.)**

**(Naruto, I have come with a gift and a warning; something has escaped the sight of Heaven's reach and it now follows you.)**

The Jinchuriki were silent for a moment, disturbed by the Spirit's words. Naruto looked forward adamantly, encouraging the soul to continue.

**(My warning must come first, though I warn you it promises nothing short of death.)**

**(…The one responsible for your imprisonment has returned to this Plain of Existence.)**

The group tensed up considerably, many uncomfortable looks being shared amongst one another in deep thought. Naruto's eyes focused into a rather scornful glare, he himself not fully aware of who had thrown him down so deep in the Earth to begin with. Kirabi stepped forward amongst everyone, a justifiably concerned look on his face?

"Imprisoned? Da fuck is up with that? I mean I know we died but who the hell imprisoned Naruto? Point me in the right direction so I can whoop his ass." The large black man claimed as he pumped his chest authoritatively, earning a facepalm from both Yugito, Gaara and Roshi for his lack of tact when talking to a Spirit of all things.

**(Your bravery is commendable Kirabi, but it severely overlooks the situation at hand.)**

**(I speak of a great evil, an evil long since thought destroyed.)**

**(I speak of an angel who defied who Heaven, who defied God himself.)**

**(…Long ago this being was known in Heaven under the name Abbadon, the Angel of Death. However, his rebellion was incited by the Apocalypse caused by Madara; which failed and succeeded due to your efforts, Naruto.)**

The Sage looked rather glum after Faust uttered his last sentence, but with soon comforted by a two hands placing themselves on his shoulders. Casually looking behind him, Naruto saw both Fu and Kirabi with rather sympathetic looks on their faces; willing to comfort their friend despite what had occurred so long ago. Smiling ever so briefly, the blonde turned to meet the Spirit once more; who had patiently waited through his pause.

** (Abbadon believed that you needed to be punished for failing to stop Madara; which caused the near destruction of Earth itself. Due to the fact that Heaven is forbidden from interfering in the affairs of mortals, Azrael was not allowed to raise his hand against Madara like he wanted, something that infuriated him to no end.)**

**(When you alone were left alone on Earth after the utter destruction, his rage only grew when God denied him the justice he wanted when he sought you punished. My Lord saw you as a bright light in a dark world, and he hoped despite your failure you would bring balance to the planet that madman destroyed.)**

Naruto paused for just a moment, truly awed at Faust's words. A Fallen Angel had a grudge against him for failing to stop Madara? The Creator of all Things, God, Kami HIMSELF saw him as a beacon of a hope to restore a destroyed world? He would've doubted such words from anyone else, but even in his time everyone knew Spirits never lied.

**(Disobeying the words of our Lord and defying Heaven itself, Abbadon set out on a self-righteous mission to punish you for your failure. By the time I and many of Abbadon's fellow Seraphim reached you, he had already beaten to near death and placed upon you the Seal of Vengeance; a technique that only he as the Angel of Death had knowledge of**.)

Naruto held up his hand to pause the Spirit, puzzling Faust at the first moment before an interjection could be asked. "Wait a minute, not to sound offensive or anything but you're just a Spirit, Faust. From what I vaguely remember about some of the religions of Hi no Kuni the Spirit World was a completely separate Plain of Existence from Tengoku or Naraka…so what you were doing in Heaven palling around with Seraphim and more prominently, Kami himself?"

**(What you say is true; the Spirit World is a completely separate Plain of Existence from either Heaven or Hell. The reason God gave me leisure in Heaven was because he himself felt that since Heaven is so massive, he needed someone else as a fellow pair of eyes and ears to keep things in check. God may be all knowing, but even he needs help maintaining order in his own realm now and then; the fact that I am a Spirit only assists the matter since I quite literally have the time in the world.)**

**(The Seal of Vengeance as granted to Abbadon for becoming the Angel of Death, allows him to him eternally bind a foe through sheer malice alone; meaning to say as long as his hatred for the enslaved exists the seal will always remain as well. Before you ask, the reason you don't remember fighting Abbadon is because the seal only sends the enslaved into a coma; it'll erase their memory of said incident if were to ever escape it, a feat that Abbadon himself thought to be impossible.)**

**(However, Abbadon overlooked the wisdom of our Lord. He had thought the Seal of Vengeance was a permanent thing, while the Creator already had a countermeasure in place.)**

**(The countermeasure against the Seal of Vengeance required that a Spirit be bound to the enslaved body to keep it from fading away into nothingness; I volunteered to keep your form whole, in which I kept you constantly revitalized for thousands of years.)**

**(The Archangels had thought they had destroyed their corrupt brother, but their misjudgment paved the way for even greater future monstrosity. Azrael was not dead; though buried under ground far deeper than you, he had eventually evolved into something far darker.)**

**(Abbadon would become known in Heaven as Mephistopheles...the Lord of Sorrow. The Defiler, The Violator, The Oppressor, The Other, The Traitor…many such titles belonged to him soon after.)**

Taking a brief moment to take all that Faust was taking in; Naruto couldn't help but sigh audibly at the Spirit's story. An Archangel, an Angel of Death no less named Azrael was apparently enraged with his failure to stop Madara, and wanted him punished for it is a result. God himself denied Azrael such vengeance, and even saw him as a beacon of light to help rebuild a devastated planet.

Azrael set off on his own in fury, beat him to a bloody pulp, and used a powerful Sealing technique to not only imprison him for what the Archangel thought would be forever; but even put a failsafe on the Seal if it truly did fail by erasing his memory of the encounter with the enraged Archangel as a result.

And, if that wasn't enough, Azrael's death apparently transformed into some kind of misbegotten abomination lying in wait deep in the Earth's crust; that apparently every Plain of Existence came to know as Mefisutoferesu or Mephistopheles, the Kanashimi no Omo, the Lord of Sorrow.

"Why would Azrael want to erase my memory of this encounter you've mentioned? Wouldn't he want me to remember the suffering he put me through before Sealing me?" Naruto asked inquisitively.

**(Under any other circumstance yes, but his plan was to ensure if that if by some miracle you were to escape the Seal of Vengeance, he wanted a way to get the jump on you if you ever awoke. He wouldn't want you to remember the encounter specifically for the element of surprise so you'd be unprepared with facing him again, which is one of the reasons I'm here in the first place, to disrupt that part of his plan.)**

**(And before you ask, yes, he knows of your revival; part of the failsafe on the Seal of Vengeance allows him sense your presence if you ever woken. We don't know how or when Mephistopheles will emerge from the Earth to seek you out, we just know it's only a matter of time; and because of this God has asked of me to tell you to be prepared.)**

**(Among this warning, he has told to endow you with two gifts and tell you of one to come. The first is the condition of your damaged eye...advance towards me, Naruto.)**

Gulping in a tone that hinted fear, Naruto began to take a step forward before feeling a hand on his shoulder. Gaara stood behind his friend and ally, a small smile crossing his face as to comfort his friend. While the Kazekage and his fellow Jinchuriki were as unsure as Naruto was about the Spirit's 'gist persay, he at least made it known that they were there for him should the worst occur. A very small smile crossed the blonde's lips, the smallest bit more confident than he was before.

As he turned to face Faust, he quickly found the Spirit was right in front of him after a small descent from above; which nearly made the blonde fall over in surprise. Suddenly an even paler arm suddenly extended itself from one the seemingly empty sleeves of Faust's cloak, sharing an almost bone-like skeletal complexion.

A singular bony touched Naruto's blind eye ever so slightly, to which Minato's son mustered all he could to not blink in response. A small white light filled his eye, to which was accompanied by a miniscule burning sensation to which Naruto audibly cursed upon feeling only to be quickly balanced by Kirabi and Han respectively.

After a moment or two of shaking his head in obvious pain, Naruto began to open his eyes once more as his limited vision returned to him…or so he thought. The darkness that accompanied his damaged eye had vanished; he could see the Spirit and his friends in full view now, the former of which let out a few audible gasps at seeing their newly reformed leader.

The viridian blindness had vanished completely, thought the large scar that had trailed from his face to his lower jaw was still prevalent, it seemed regularly miniscule in comparison to what had just been accomplished.

"Naruto-kun! Can you see again? That damaged eye of yours is no longer green, it's blue again!" Fu cheered happily, hugging her friend joyfully in an embrace that lead to the blonde's face being implanted face first in her breasts much to his embarrassment and enjoyment. After separating himself from Fu's…airbags, Naruto shook his head in a flustered manner struggling to fight off a nose blood much to Kirabi and Utakata's amusement.

"Thanks for that Faust, I didn't think I'd be ever be able to see in this eye ever again after Madara fucked up my face…speaking of which, couldn't you have done something about this scar while you were at it?" Naruto questioned in mock hurt.  
**  
(Your physical appearance is of no concern to me...besides, don't human females enjoy scars on their male counterparts?)**

"…"

**(That was a joke.)**

"Right…what's the next gift anyway?"

**(Activate your Rinnegan and you shall see.)**

"Can't say I like the sound of that but okay."

As the violet textures of the Dojutsu engulfed the now both azure eyes, Faust floated backwards and extending two of his bony fingers, a duo of translucent silver lights emerged from the Spirit's fingers; slowly tracing to Naruto's face and going into his eyes like a worming snake. Surprisingly though the Sage blinked once, he didn't feel any true pain or agony like he did before. After a moment or two the blonde opened his mouth to comment on the experience, only to scream out in pain as he clutched his face in sheer agony.

His fellows tried to balance him as he shouted in pain, several of the Fire Nation soldiers took their offensive positions once more only for Han to shoot them all a mean-look which silenced any efforts at interfering. As Naruto's heavy panting began to die down, he struggled to open his eyes fully due to the ever lingering suffering. As the youth's eyes began to slowly open, he gazed at the Spirit in newfound anger.

"What the fuck was that for! That hurt like crazy!"

**"My eyes haven't burned this badly since the Rinnegan was linked to your fellow Jinchuriki; tear him a new one Kit!"**

**(Hold your attack Naruto, you should look to your fellows and ask them what they see before you cast judgment so quickly.)**

The Sage did as instructed and turned to his allies, whose facial expressions changed considerably upon gazing at their leader's eyes once again. Before anyone could properly describe the change to hi, Fu reached into one of her pockets and handed Naruto a small mirror; something the girl undoubtedly used to catch a quick glance at her own appearance in her past life. Taking the mirror in hand and holding it at a reasonable distance to himself, Naruto could only gape at the even more shocking change.

His eyes had changed yet again, but this time the change seemed much more drastic. The swirls of the Rinnegan remained, but their violet texture was gone; in their place lay a brilliant golden color instead reminiscent to his Perfect Sage Mode. The pupils of his now perfect vision also had changed from their Rinnegan appearance; they instead bore an incredible resemblance to that of the Perfect Sage Mode as well.

"What did you do to me Faust? I don't know what exactly you accomplished but whatever it is I feel even more powerful than I did before now." Naruto exclaimed in a somewhat excited manner, to which Kurama face palmed out how quickly his host's anger faded.

**(Simple, I have merely combined your Sage Mode talents with the awakened Rinnegan you were granted; allowing you to utilize the full strength of both techniques at the same time. Sage Mode and the Rinnegan both utilize elements of Senjutsu; since they both rely on the same energies merging them is a relatively simple process for a spiritual being such as myself.)**

(Not only can you utilize both the strengths of Sage Mode and the Rinnegan together; your restored eyesight will allow you far more access to such abilities rather than being only able to use one eye.)

"So in a nutshell you're telling me you've gifted me with some kind of hybrid Senjutsu Dojutsu?" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

**(Yes.)**

"…That is awesome!" The blonde yelled as he jumped in the air and pumped his fist; Roshi and Yugito were both quick to shake their heads in disbelief at his common over enthusiasm. Pausing for a very brief moment, Naruto gazed at the Spirit once more with a questioning look.

"Does this mean everyone else gets this ability as well? And what the hell is this third gift? Please tell me it's not gonna hurt as bad as what you just did." Naruto practically groaned, fearful of having the sensation of his eyes being dipped in lava once more.

**(Your friends will not inherit this ability for a few reasons; I cannot combine your Sage Mode with them because they never trained to become a Sage like you did, and combining a trio of bloodline limits with one another; such a procedure is far too complicated for even a spiritual being. That and the Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai does not resonate with Senjutsu properties; thus it is incompatible to be fused with either the Rinnegan or Sage Mode.)**

Sighing in a somewhat disappointed manner, Naruto kicked up a small bit of dust with his sandals. "Darn it…sorry guys, it would've been awesome if you guys coulda used your Rinnegan and Mangenkyo Sharingan abilities in combination with my Sage Mode. But I guess that's asking for too much now, isn't it?"

Yagura waved his hand in a lazy castoff manner, showing he wasn't at all hurt by what he or his friends wouldn't be able to do. "Please, things are already going to be weird enough around here as it is; I'd rather not have the situation get crazier than it already is."

"I agree with Yagura-san." Han muttered softly.

Pouting ever so slightly and crossing his arms in mock hurt, Naruto could only feign disappointment. "Sometimes you guys are no fun I swear."  
**  
****(The third gift is most likely the one you'll value the most Naruto, though I will this gift will not be bestowed upon you today; it will be granted after this battle, regardless if you win or lose.)**

"But you just said this would be the gift I'd value the most! Now you're waving it in front of my face saying it'll come later! Let me guess, you're not even gonna tell me what is, are you?" Naruto grumbled angrily.

"Tch sounds like a bit of a cocktease to me." Kirabi muttered of on the side, Yugito punching her friend lightly in the arm while giving reverent look of disapproval at his choice of words.

"Ow, I'm just sayin', geez!"

**(God has told me granted you survive this fight, which he personally thinks you will; he'll allow me to give your third gift afterward as you'll have truly proved yourself worthy of continued survival and of this second chance that he granted ensured you with so long ago.)**

"…So Kami himself is basically putting money down on the chances Naruto-san's survival as well us fellow Jinchuriki? Lovely, never thought life would make me it's personal punching bag." Utakata chuckled grimly, to which both Fu and Kirabi joined him in a resounding chuckle. The lightheartedness of Utakata's statement soon passed when the very air seem to thicken, presumably because of Faust.  
**  
(Watch your tongue Utakata, God deserves far more respect than your blatant nonchalance on a matter as important as this. You and your fellows only live because my Lord has demanded it; your continued existence was only made possible because of his direct interference.)**

Huffing defiantly at the Spirit's retort, Faust could only shake his head at Utakata's seeming lack of gratitude and general respect. For so long humans had always put themselves above their Gods, their Creators and true Lords Among High…such a trait was prevalent even in the days of old; long before the time of Shinobi itself mankind always sought to step above its station. Uchiha Madara and the Hebi Sannin Orochimaru were prime examples of such callousness, though both had met their fates eventually through the blood, sweat and tears of those with enough morality and power to stop them.

**(You should also know Naruto that my lord has sensed an unknown force that does not belong to Mephistopheles; it is not in league with him, that he knows for certain. Whatever he, she, or it is it's managing to cloak it's very identity from God himself...I've heard murmurs of discontent in Heaven; claiming that whatever this power is it's aura is similar to something or someone from your own time.)  
****  
**"How is that possible? Anyone from the time of Shinobi should be long dead by now; excluding us of course due to your direct interference Faust." Roshi muttered on an offhand note, stroking his beard in contemplation.

"This doesn't seem like a mortally possible feat…perhaps this person has reached some manner of divinity." Han commented.

**(My Lord has suspicions that this unfounded presence is of dark intent; a malevolent aura surrounds it similar to Mephistopheles.)**

**(Since the Creator does not know who or what this thing is; we have yet to accurately determine its motives. I humbly suggest you all be wary of any suspicious happenings that do not reassemble this world's current strengths in general. If any of the Seraphim or my Lord himself learn of this threat's true nature beforehand, we will contact you posthaste.)**

**(Since the Creator does not know who or what this thing is; we have yet to accurately determine its motives. I humbly suggest you all be wary of any suspicious happenings that do not reassemble this world's current strengths in general. If any of the Seraphim or my Lord himself learn of this threat's true nature beforehand, we will contact you posthaste.)**

"Thanks for everything Faust, and get back to us when you know what exactly has surfaced from our time." Naruto exclaimed thankfully.

**(Of course, I'd do nothing less.)**

And with those words, the Spirit faded away almost instantly. Its opaque silvery visage vanished without a trace, not leaving one semblance behind of its existence. Turning to face his friends and fellow Jinchuriki, the nine quickly began debating what was the best course of action for each of them to take on the battlefield; specifically where each of their talents would be the most effective. Though Gaara felt slightly off put that he would not be fighting directly alongside his friends, he still stuck to his own recommendation about staying behind on the flagship as a tactical commander.

Before any true decisions could be made, the sound of footsteps was made apparently clear. All of the Biju hosts turned their heads to see a woman with a very vain look on her face walking towards them, her golden yet cruel eyes shining in the sun. Naruto held his hand to his followers to let know to temporarily stand their ground and wait to be addressed by this woman of obvious importance.

"Admiral Zhao and I witnessed the whole experience from his personal command deck, quite a show if I may so myself. We weren't able to hear much of your long-winded conversation mind you, but if I'm not mistaken that was the same Spirit that was present when I freed you from bindings, is it not? What did it want this time anyway? The Siege on the North is well about to commence, we don't have time to be drawn into spiritual matters." The royal girl practically snapped impatiently, having long awaited a truly glorious battle. Shaking his head ever so slightly, Naruto gave Azula a look of confidence and comfort.

"Worry not Azula-hime, Faust merely wanted to inform me of possible oncoming dangers and grant upon me a few noticeable gifts that will no doubt hasten our chances of victory in this assault; look upon me, does something seem at all different to you?" Naruto smirked mischievously.

Azula glanced at the boy intently, giving him a full look-over as to determine any differentiation. His physical appearance seemed largely the same, but it soon made itself clear that something was indeed different. His once blind eye that bore a pale green color to assert its failure to function now bore a resemblance to his normal eye, its functionality fully restored to its absolute prime.

"So…the Spirit has healed you? An interesting gift indeed, no doubt your returned vision will ensure that this operation goes even smoother than originally intended." Azula grinned wickedly.

Looking over the blonde's shoulder at his silent companions, she couldn't help but feel an aura of familiarity with all of them…something was strangely similar about them in comparison to Naruto himself. "Zhao and I saw these eight strangers literally pop out of nowhere in similar regards to the Spirit, but they did so a bit earlier. I can only assume they are your comrades, your friends; whatever you wish to address them as. Tell me Naruto, who exactly are these people? And do they possess talents similar to yours?"

"Indeed they do Azula-hime, as I told you when we first met I am the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune; the host of the Nine Tailed Fox, Kurama. As mentioned previously Kurama was amongst the nine strongest animals in the world, the Biju, the Tailed Beasts themselves. The people you see before you were and still are my friends and comrades from my own time, and we all share the fact that we are all Jinchuriki; all hosts of the nine Biju themselves."

"They possess incredible powers and a truly admirable determination in battle; no matter who their opponents are, be they man or monster. Each one of them is a formidable force even without their Biju, but the fact that all of us are now truly united with our inner Demons and that we now fight as one yet again; I can assure you this battle is all but ours." The Sage proclaimed in a prideful gesture, extending his arms to each of his sides where four of each of the remaining eight Jinchuriki stood in place.

Azula cupped her chin in thought, which quickly turned into some kind of feral excitement. "You mean to tell me that you have essentially summoned eight more you's? All of whom possess talents unseen by this world for millennia's, and all of whom have inside them a Demon of great power similar to your own?"

"Precisely."

Smiling in a matter that made Fu shiver in fright, Azula could only tighten her fists in excitement. If each one of these nine people would unleash their true powers upon this pathetic Tribe there would be no need for Zhao's fleet or for any fleet of that matter; nothing but true primal destruction would beseech those worthless peasants…oh how she could watch them burn.

"My friends allow me to introduce to you Azula-hime, Princess of the Fire Nation; which used to be our very own Hi no Kuni. Azula-hime, I'd like you to meet Gaara, Yugito Nii, Yagura, Roshi, Han, Utakata, Fu and last but least Kirabi; the containers of the eight other Biju besides myself of course. We will all do what we can to aid Zhao's fleet in this battle I assure you." Naruto stated in a somewhat restrained manner, still not completely comfortable with following Azula at all due to the fact that Hi no Kuni was now ruled by a Danzo-esque leader.

Utakata and Yagura begrudgingly stepped forward, almost disdainfully bowing to the royal woman while Han and Kirabi kowtowed on a much lighter note to the side. Gaara remained neutral and did not show any signs of true respect, only a mustering a slight nod of acceptance instead. The old Roshi only stroked his beard slowly in contemplation of Azula's character, while Yugito begrudgingly shook hands with the intimidating as Fu put on her brightest smile.

"How did you manage to convince Zhao to have his men abstain from any form of future assault on Faust or my friends during that entire exchange? I trust he was left quite aggravated as a result." Naruto chuckled somewhat loudly, earning the attention of his newly renewed friends.

"Zhao? Someone we should know about, I take it?" Roshi muttered on the side.

Azula ran her fingers through her hair softly, searching for the correct terms to properly address the Admiral by; though it took her a moment to find the exact words to describe him.

"Zhao is or rather was a Commander initially sent to capture the Avatar alongside my brother, whom I'm sure Naruto here has told you all about. While Zhao has managed to at least survive the campaign thus far, and that isn't much of a feat mind you all considering the Avatar has the mentality of a child; my pathetic older brother Zuko apparently was killed off by a mangy, slovenly group of pirates."

"While Zuko's death was in the least so demeaning it was worthy of his disgrace Zhao on the other hand has failed my father Fire Lord Ozai, ruler of the Fire Nation, on too many instances worth mentioning. He apparently more or less begged for this position as Admiral, to which my father granted him when he practically pleaded for one last chance to prove himself worthy of the Fire Nation; pathetically droll I know, but apparently my father is willing to overlook his callousness for the time being. If he does fail however, I have no doubt my father will have him executed for botching such a major operation against the Water Tribe and of course the Avatar's being himself."

"As you all have been most likely informed of how Naruto and I crossed paths, you're all well aware that I have freed him for that underground prison that I deviated from my objective to find. Simply put, whether or not you any of you are actually from the Fire Nation of old are not; you are only here today because I freed Naruto, who I can assume in turn freed you all, thus, I am the one more-or-less responsible for all of your continued existences."

After a long-winded speech, the swirling violet and crimson eyes of Naruto's fellow Jinchuriki couldn't help but narrow; even Fu, the usually happy-go-lucky one of them all seemed a bit miffed. Such haughty, prideful arrogant demeanor…truly she was a daughter raised by a tyrant; in a way she could not be blamed for such behavior, a good majority of it most likely stemmed from the way she was brought up itself.

Then again the argument could be made that she had been introduced to different forms of kindness, and simply had not bothered to heed them. Regardless, it was made very clear that a certain vainness was present in her personality.

"I hope you realize that we only follow Naruto-san, not you…you may be the reason for his freedom and by that extension or freedom, but do not think this allows you to hold such a burden over our heads." Roshi adamantly stated a gruff sternness evident in his voice.

Narrowing her eyes with a renewed fierceness, Azula couldn't help but glare at the old man. "Please, more elderly pish-posh...do not bore me with such honorific sentiments old man, lest you remind me of Iroh; who I detest to say is related to me by my very blood."

"You should head Roshi-san's advice Azula-hime…he has seen many more years than you in his past life than you have yet to walk the Earth I'd imagine." Han muttered softly.

"And a good portion of that 'life' you claim of was most likely spent inactive underground, am I correct? While he is not as old my Uncle, he certainly bares that sense of elderly self-entitlement to waves above younger generations…" Azula rolled her eyes mockingly, earning an intensified glare from Yugito.

_What a hypocrite…_

_She's kind of a bully…I don't like bullies._

_THIS is who we're expected to follow? I know Naruto said he, and by that extension we, are being blackmailed into this battle but this seems disgustingly dishonorable._

_Bitch is trippin' if she thinks we all gonna fall in line like this!_

Such were the sentiments of Naruto's friends, to which he muffled a chuckle upon hearing Kirabi's thoughts last as Azula raised an eyebrow in slight suspicion. Putting on his best poker face, the Sage looked at the Princess with newfound adamancy.

"With all due respect Azula-hime, my friends owe you nothing. Sure, ya freed me and if you want to take things outta context you could say ya freed them as well, but when all's said and done I'm the one who brought em all back, not you." Naruto declared defiantly, a small glare creeping across the face of the fiery maiden in the process.

"Are you sure you wish to address me as so lightly Naruto? Last time you did so you ended up sleeping in a closet, you'd think you would've learned your lesson by now…" Azula trailed off mockingly, earning an infuriated glare from Fu.

"I do what I must Azula-hime, certain things must be said; no matter the cost." Naruto remarked casually.

"You're either very brave or very foolish…perhaps a bit of both. Anyway, I assume your friends will be participating in this battle as well? You'd have no other reason to bring them back otherwise." Azula chuckled casually, earning a fair share of looks of disapproval.

Fu stepped forward calmly, hanging over Naruto's shoulder like a backpack. "Well gee, maybe he just wanted to see us again, ya know? We're his pals, not just his tools to be used leisurely."

"Heaven forbid we be anything else but weapons." Yagura stated sarcastically.

Ignoring the rather impudent behavior of Naruto's so-called comrades, Naruto stared at the blonde for a moment in thought while trying to ignore the girl with the mint hair draped over his back.

"I assume you've already formulated some strategies for each one of your friends Naruto? And how much power do you and your friends intend on using? While the utter destruction of this Tribe would no doubt be a glorious show of strength, the Fire Nation tends to have its captured landmarks in one piece and not scattered across an arctic ocean as unsalvageable pieces of debris."

"Gaara-san would like to stay onboard this vessel as a tactical commander; he was an expert strategist and military leader in the Shinobi Age, and he has not lost any of his skills in said areas even now. Not only that but his powers would be rather ineffective against the Water Benders in this aquatic frigid landscape, he even said so himself."

"Kirabi, Utakata and I will take up the forward offensive and meet any coming invaders head-on; we won't be attacking the Tribe directly however, our job is to act as a standstill to repel any attacks on the vessels that will lead the siege. We will only directly infiltrate the Tribe itself when your soldiers have broken through their defenses."

"Yugito and Roshi will have the left flank while Yagura and Fu take on the right, all four of them will merge together on the Tribe when the defenses are finally broken. Thus eight out of nine of us will lead the main offensive force on Arnook's battalions directly as soon as Zhao's men set foot upon the Tribe itself as mentioned beforehand; when that time comes, we will not unleash all of our power persay, but enough to defeat them at best."

As Naruto ended his military tirade speech, Azula couldn't help but show a look of both disapproval and disappointment; something Naruto had expected. He knew the dramatically prideful Princess would no doubt seek true violence upon the Tribe, and would demand no quarter of bloodshed to be censored from the attack. She had known previously when she had struck a deal with Naruto that no civilian encampments be targeted; something that had enraged Zhao significantly and had off put her wanton need for destruction as well.

"So you and your followers will not be showing the true extents of your power? Disappointing, but necessary I guess; well I'd revel in the chance to see what you are truly capable of Naruto, I understand why you'd have to tone yourself done for these pathetic ingrates." Azula stated in an almost lustful, dangerous manner; the thoughts of what this man could truly do with all his power truly intrigued her, not matter how much she wanted to deny it.

She didn't love him persay, it wasn't that deep of a connection…as she herself believed such an emotion was impossible for her to feel. But this ever-growing want to truly revel in his power tempted her, though Azula was thoroughly determined not to show such feelings.

"But let me get this straight…you and your friends won't attack the Tribe directly until Zhao's soldiers break the foothold? Why is that? Couldn't you easily accomplish such a feat by yourselves?" The Princess asked inquisitively.

"In theory yes we could, but my companions and I feel the need to see the strength of our current homeland before actually entering the battle ourselves. Think of it as a trust fall exercise Azula-hime, we need to see how strong our Nation's will is before just putting our lives on the line for them again. It's not a matter that we're honor bound to protect Hi no Kuni; we just need to see if they're still worth protecting." Naruto smirked mischievously.

"So what you're basically saying is that both you and your followers feel that a show of your future homeland's strength is necessary before you yourselves take action?" Azula questioned.

Rolling his shoulders casually, the blonde smirked in response. "More or less, yeah." Much to his displeasure, what he predicted the Princess's response would be wasn't far off from what would actually occur.

"Isn't that detrimental to our cause in general? I fear that ever since that damnable reconnaissance mission of yours your faith and loyalty in our Nation has been severely dampened." Azula remarked almost spitefully.

"Dampened no, misplaced, perhaps." Naruto chuckled grimly, a set of glaring golden eyes burned into his soul soon after. He would not be deterred however, no matter who his opponent would be; royalty or not.

A silence fell over the large group, a sense of animosity ever present. It was clear to Azula now more than ever that Naruto, even while being a hero to her Nation in days no longer recorded by history; would not be ordered around like a common foot soldier. He had willpower; he had a spine…all things that the common trooper lacked in her own eyes. Though such things would usually be valued in a strong ally, one who would display his or her own intent so freely without fear of consequence could be deemed as either potentially treasonous or dangerous in their own right.

She knew as long as she held the burden of war over his head, he would enter the battle on special terms that would ensure the downplay of slaughter; it was regrettable that the true glory of war couldn't be granted to her Nation in any battle Naruto partook in, but it would ensure his loyalty in the least. Perhaps when this battle passed as well she would continue to employ the same tactic; though Azula herself pondered for how long such blackmail would actually work. If Naruto's true power was enough to devastate mountains like Faust had claimed, if he were truly turned hostile than such animosity between him and the Fire Nation could prove disastrous.

"You spoke with Zhao about the marked military encampments I take it? He knows that the civilian populace is off limits to bombardment?" Naruto asked softly, in an attempt to clear the tension.

"He knows yes, he initially tried to voice his immediate disapproval of said strategy but he knew better than to question his Lord's daughter. The battle will carry on as you and I have agreed upon, though I can say without a doubt in my mind that Zhao most likely despises you right now Naruto." Azula chuckled casually, earning the ire of Naruto's companions.

"He can hate me for this all he wants, in all due honesty I couldn't care less about him to begin with; he's a very bitter, contempt man." The Sage grumbled, relating the Admiral to be the exact opposite of the long passed Sandaime Hokage.

Rolling her eyes casually, and turning her attention to Gaara. She signaled for the redhead to follow her, which he complied with after a moment of hesitation only to be given the go ahead by Naruto. "I'll introduce your friend to Zhao and tell him of his role to come, I can't say he'll be any more pleased than he already his, but it's a sacrifice he'll have to live with. Though keep in mind just because Gaara's tactics may be brilliant, I cannot ensure that Zhao will heed them."

"I can be very persuasive." Gaara rasped almost dangerously, earning a smirk from Azula.

"You're a bit passionate aren't you? We might get along fabulously." The prideful Princess haughtily stated as she and the Jinchuriki of Shukaku began to walk off toward a nearby metal door.

Gaara only turned his halfway to look back once, a look of discomfort evident on his face. He didn't particularly enjoy the fact that he was being dragged along by a woman as arrogant as this Princess, even more so that he detested being away from his fellow brothers and sisters in the heat of battle. His weakness was exploitable here and he full well knew it, but that didn't make him feel any more comforted with his tactical role whatsoever.

After Azula and Gaara disappeared from sight completely through the metallic entrance, many glances of disapproval were shot at Naruto by his fellows. Scratching the back of his head lightly in a sense of nervousness, a small bonk on the headed greeted him via Fu's fist.

"Oooowww! What was that for!" Naruto whined childishly, before quickly being put in a headlock by Fu's slender arms.

"Naruto-kun, what are we going to do with you? You always get yourself into big messes like this! Can't you think first and then jump after?" Fu groaned girlishly, clinging onto Naruto's back obsessively like an infantile Koala bear while fishing through his extensively long golden hair looking to entertain herself.

"Not to mention the first person you've met Naruto-san turns out to be a rather ignorant Princess whose father has employed genocide and terror into the hearts of the people of this world; a similar strategy to Madara's no doubt." Han added in as reserved as ever.

Yugito stepped forward, brushing herself off calmly. "And then there's the fact that she's essentially blackmailing you to partake in this battle; which now the same said tactics are being applied to all of us as well."

"I don't trust this Azula woman, the pride and vanity she displays no doubt stems from her upbringing; and considering her father is apparently a tyrant that makes this whole scenario all the more troublesome." Utakata remarked while taking a puff of his pipe.

"I agree with Utakata-san, we shouldn't be serving this woman at all. Regardless whether or not her father is the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni, this Fire Lord Ozai is disgracing the legacy of Konoha's Hi no Ishi and the good name of our old homeland in general. If anything, perhaps we should be fighting with this 'Avatar' despite his naivety on how the world works." Yagura hissed almost angrily, a worried look from Fu sympathized with his feelings.

Naruto sighed heavily, fully well guessing his friends would not approve of the current situation. Under any other circumstance in his past life, he most likely would've voiced the same feelings; but things were different now. The black and white good and evils he had grown up had turned to shades of gray, shades that weren't too easy to distinguish on their true intents.

On one side his old homeland had turned into what threatened in the very first place, enforced rule through tyranny and fear; the democratization of overzealous pride and callous ambitions that reeked with ignorance. And on the differing side there was a boy whose true character did not support his chronological age, a child's mindset thrown into the middle of a war; which consisted of innocent naivety, lack of discipline, self-entitled heroism, pointless altruism and a general fear of reality that would damn him and those who followed him to failure. There was also the fact that this supposed Messiah fled from the world over one hundred years ago out of personal fear, which ultimately lead to a century of dictatorship and suffering.

In a way both sides were to blame however, not only through the actions of the Fire Lords and the Avatars, but of the people who sided with each claim of righteousness. The people of the current Hi no Kuni were apparently comfortable with the self-righteous reign of Ozai, and had made no attempts to stand against his goal over ruling the existing Four Nations like a God; nor had they made any effort to even speak their possible discomforts against him.

The same could be said for those who continued to believe in and support the Avatar legacy as well; the apparent mutual feeling of the three other Nations was that without the Avatar the Fire Lord could never be vanquished, and as a result a complete rebellion was just a fleeting dream on the farthest corners of everyone's mind. There were Freedom Fighters here and there of course as to be expected, but without an icon to believe in; such struggle was incompetent and doomed to failure.

"Apathy." Naruto stated softly, earning the ears of his seven friends.

"Come again?" Yagura remarked.

"The people of this time have grown so complacent with putting all their faith in a child and kowtowing to a tyrant, without their savior they feel that they have no chance to break free of these chains imposed on them. What these people fail to realize is that they have the power to stand up against dictatorship without an Avatar; they have lost faith in their own strength. They need to be told and shown that they can stand up on their own two feet without an Avatar, they have grown apathetic in their need for an icon."

"Without an Avatar they feel there is no need to even try to rebel, as such a struggle would be useless under any other circumstance. Apathy is the emotion of choosing to do nothing, in itself it is worse than death; at least in death choosing to do nothing is an inevitability due to the fact you no longer function, while you're alive you have the CHOICE to stand up, and yet they do not. Their complacency for taking this abuse is a mistake; someone needs to show them that can stand up past this nonsense."

"Apathy is death."

A long moment of silence fell over the group; Naruto's fellow seven friends all bore bright smiles on their faces. Kirabi looked to be on the verge of laughing, a nostalgic sense of remembrance washing over him from the time he spent with the son of Minato in the past. His willpower still burned as strongly as it did thousands of years ago, not one speck of ambition our valor had faded in the least. Fu gave a resounding 'woohoo' of approval; much to Naruto and Kirabi's amusement.

"From the way you phrase it seems like you want to oppose Hi no Kuni's current government in general Naruto-san, what is your long term plan exactly? You said you'd do what's necessary if you can't persuade Azula-hime to see the error of her father's ways of ruling and join our side, so what do you have in mind?" Roshi questioned as he stroked his crimson beard.

"Well we obviously can't just ditch this battle now due to Azula-hime's rather callous but effective blackmail strategy, so we participate in this battle despite whatever outcome there may be. Zhao's already been told to make sure none of the fleet's firepower is directed towards the civilian encampments so we won't be party to a slaughter, and I've already granted all of you the mental images of those to avoid killing."

"After this battle is done with I'd recommend that all of us stick around in Azula's company for a bit longer and try to get her to see the flaws of her father's rule, and if after a week or so she doesn't change her mind we should go our separate ways and seek to change this world on our own terms." Naruto concluded adamantly, a smile adorning his face similar to his father's.

"I can't imagine Azula will just 'let us go', my guess is she doesn't take rejection well." Yagura commented in rather slyly, earning a nod of agreement from both Fu and Han.

"I rather not make an enemy of Azula directly but if she says she won't let us go we'll just have to fight our way out; as I said I'd rather avoid that course of action but if it's the only possible outcome then we'll just have to do what we have to." The blonde responded rather calmly.

Rolling his fingers through his hair, Kirabi took a rather large step forward; adamant on asking a few questions of his own. "And where exactly would we go after splittin' from Azula's company? Quite frankly we don't really have many friends in high places nowadays, gainin' support and trust is gonna be a pain in the ass considerin' how off we all look in comparison to the people of today's world I'd say."

"I have no doubt that'll be a challenging feat within itself B-san, however we must try regardless. Perhaps when I bring back my beloveds we can restore the status from each of their respective Clans, thus gaining political power will no doubt help us gain influence in the future." The blonde retorted adamantly.

Fu brought her index finger to her lip in thought, snapping her fingers upon realization. "But all of the clans of the women you were supposed to marry are all long since gone, just like all the knowledge of the Shinobi Age in general."

"True, I had thought of that earlier on, we'll just have to officially reestablish the credibility of each Clan one by one, all in due time of course. I'm not saying it'll be an easy feat nor will it be one that can be accomplished easily, but it's our best shot in dealing with future matters." Naruto said.

"Besides, the Gedo Rinne Tensei Technique will be an invaluable method of bringing back my loved ones in the hopefully not too distant future; I can only pray they know of the necessary steps to regain their Clans political power once I explain the situation to them." The Sage stated somewhat grimly.

A loud shrilling noise made its way out of nearby speaker's approximately three floors up from Naruto's group, the high pitched ring made many of the nearby present foot soldiers caps their helmets in pain; to which Naruto and his friends repeated the same notion. To say the sound was mildly unpleasant was an understatement, it felt as though as if the claws of a feline were being scraped against a blackboard; and said blackboard represented everyone's eardrums.

"Attention all units! This is Fleet Admiral Zhao speaking! Standing next to me is the daughter of our Fire Lord Ozai himself, her Royal Highness, Princess Azula! She and her companions have come here today to partake in what is to be a great victory for the Fire Nation! Today, we defeat the Northern Water Tribe at long last! This battle is a great stepping stone in a war waged for far too long!"

"…Per special request by her Highness only the military standpoints of the Northern Water Tribe may be targeted! Direct all firepower at offensive and strategic outposts! Avoid directing any offensive maneuvers against any non-militant adversary! This may seem an unusual strategy, but I have been told that we must preserve our strength for the real threats at hand! We must not waste our power on petty fools and meaningless peasants!"

"Amongst that Tribe of cowards and savages lies the one being that they have held in such high stature for so long! The one being that deserted this world more than one hundred years ago at the very dawn of our great Nation brought on by the great Fire Lord Sozin himself! At the heart of their Tribe not only lies the Chieftain, but the Avatar himself!"

"Destroy him! Destroy the last remaining legacy of that pitiful Order!"

Rudimentary and expected cries of ferocity and valor rocketed from the nearby ships, a vocal tidal wave of arrogant pride and an astonishing need for bloodshed. Naruto could only shake his head at the misdirection of their beck and call…such blind, callous loyalty should be considered sinful to those who heed the allure of war.

Soon after a silence hushed over the gaping maw of the ships, their steel mouths silent; awaiting the next call of their Fleet Admiral.

"For Fire Lord Ozai! For the Fire Nation!"

"All units…attack!"  
_

**Gentleman…behold!**

**ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER!**

**MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

***Snaps back to reality once more.***

**God I've got to stop doing that.**

**Alright…a few words first.**

**This Chapter…this F***ING CHAPTER…**

**…This took me WAY longer and took WAY more effort than I originally had planned.**

**The writer's block I suffered writing this was terrible, the four day hiatus I had to suffer through due to a virus inhabiting my computer also took a lot of motivation out of me trying to get the damn thing fixed.**

**And boy do I know that at least someone out there is gonna flame this for not being the start of the Siege of the North Part 1, I already explained myself in the beginning for thinking this was way too long a Chapter to include a whole nother Chapter's worth of material but someone is bound to burn my ass for this decision.**

**I can truly say though, without ANY doubt in mind, that Chapter VII will be this story's first part of the Siege of the North.**

**I know I've made that claim before in the Chapter before this one, but this time I literally have everything I want to have out of the way for the SOTN Chapters.**

**Also, I'm almost completely positive that a good handful of people are gonna flat out flame the fact about the plot involving Naruto's imprisonment, along with the story's original villain, Azrael/Mephistopheles.**

**Some are gonna say that it just doesn't fit in with the Avatar Universe, other's will say they just want the story to continue through the ATLA Plotline without anything original thrown in the mix like this. Others will say this is a last minute decision within itself and I'm losing focus on the real story while trying to pave the way for something bigger.**

**Let me alleviate all of those fears right now.**

**One, I will NOT be deviating from the ATLA storyline; the Seasons shall play out as they did before, the only thing that'll change about them is obviously Naruto's involvement and what he can change from said events. Azrael/Mephistopheles will not change the ATLA plotline, he doesn't care about the world's current events; he only cares that Naruto has been awakened from his imprisonment.**

**Two, if some people say that this is just a last minute decision in an attempt to be original, it's NOT; I had this planned from the beginning. I wanted to mix Naruto's plotline, the ATLA plotline, and a original backstory all at once; it's quite a feat mind you, but I'm confident I can do it considering I know the cards I'm placing on the table. I have no doubt some people will stop reading he story and leave a flame before exiting stage left, and their entitled to do what they want, I can't stop.**

**Regardless of what anyone thinks of the tale, I'll continue on without pause.**

**With the reveal of Azrael/Mephistopheles, this narrows down two of the main three villains of the entire story. Azrael/Mephistopheles obviously represents the OC Villain and Fire Lord Ozai obviously represents the ATLA Villain. The Naruto Villain has been mentioned by Faust but his (it's a he) name and nature have not yet been revealed; who this shady character is will be largely hinted at in one of the two future Chapters dealing with the SOTN.**

**In the meantime, I'm going to be taking a small break from this story for a little bit. A two week vacation oughta do it to get back my writing spirit and give myself a well earned break. I gotta catch up on getting gear for SWTOR Character anyway, and since I just cleared the new Dawnguard DLC for Skyrim I'm good when it comes to Tamriel for the moment.**

**Also been playing Mass Effect 3 as of late, what with the Extended Cut Ending DLC out now and all. Kinda surprised though, the endings don't suck nearly as much balls as they did originally. I'm still not convinced though that the same team that did ME1 from ME2 to the majority of ME3 wrote the ending for the last game of the Trilogy…it just seems way too far off to be the same writing staff.**

**Anyway, I'll start writing again in two weeks tops; by then I should have Chapter VII up in a week and a half due to the fact my computer is back to normal.**

**This isn't even a hiatus, so don't get worried people; just catching a little R&R.**

**Quite a lot people are gettin' invested in this tale…sure as hell not gonna let you guys down now.**

**With fans like you guys, the show will always go on.**

**See ya in a bit!**

**Sincerely,**  
**-TheArkOfAwesome.**


End file.
